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LIBRARY  OF  THE  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 

PRINCETON,   N.  J. 

Presented  by 

Division .BX  b  S^  S 

Section...^.....'i^..l 


/ 


NOTICES 

EXTRACTED    FROM    THE    Pl^LIC    JOURNALS. 


From  the  Churchman. 

Our  readers  have  been  prepared  by  previous  notice,  for  the  announce- 
ment of  this  work,  and  it  is  therefore  the  less  necessary  at  present  to  enter 
into  an  extended  examination  of  its  merits. 

•'  It  has  long  been  felt,"  says  the  author  in  his  preface,  "  that  a  chasm 
existed  in  the  elementary  literature  of  the  Church,  which  could  only  be 
filled  by  a  brief  but  definite  explanation  of  terms  and  phrases  every  where 
interwoven  with  the  language  and  identified  with  the  usages  and  customs 
of  our  institutions.  A  work  of  easy  reference  was  required,  in  which 
every  facility  should  be  given  for  immediate  information  on  topics  con- 
stantly presenting  themselves.  AVords  and  peculiarities  of  expression 
also,  in  no  trifling  number,  bearing  relation  to  our  ecclesiastical  forms 
and  arrangements,  imperfectly  understood  by  some,  and  totally  without 
meaning  to  others— words  whose  import  could  not  be  found  without  re- 
curring to  books  not  always  accessible,  made  it  desirable  that  some  com- 
pendious exposition  should  offer  itself  as  a  guide  and  vade  mecum  to  the 
Episcopal  community.  With  this  object,  and  in  the  absence  of  any 
similar  work,  the  present  ecclesiastical  manual  was  projected,  and  is  now 
respectfully  offered  to  the  Church." 

A  work  of  this  nature— useful  at  any  time— is  especially  suited  to  the 
present  crisis  of  the  Church  in  our  country.  Indeed  it  may  be  said  to 
have  grown  out  of  the  exigencies  of  the  day,  the  author's  attention  having 
been  first  directed  to  it  from  the  impositions  that  have  been  practiced  on 
the  public  in  respect  to  his  Church,  by  means  of  Fessenden's  Bible  Dic- 
tionary and  other  compilations  of  the  like  superficial  and  insidious  na- 
ture. Such  works,  by  their  gross  misrepresentation,  have  been  productive 
of  much  evil  by  disseminating  and  strengthening  the  most  unfounded 
prejudices,  and  something  in  the  shape  of  a  substitute  is  needed  to  coun- 
teract their  tendencies.  There  are  many  members  of  other  denomina- 
tions, many  new-comers  among  ourselves,  who  desire  information  respect- 
ing the  peculiarities  of  our  Church,  who  have  neither  the  time,  opportu- 
nity, nor  adequate  resources  for  thorough  investigation,  and  who  need  just 
that'kind  of  occasional  and  ever-ready  help  which  can  be  found  and  found 
only  in  "  a  Dictionary  of  the  Church."  Particularly  in  the  Western  or  other 
distant  sections  of  our  country,  where  the  Church  is  comparatively  un- 
known, or  beheld  through  mists  of  prejudice,  such  a  work  as  Mr.  Staunton 
offers  may  be  most  advantageously  distributed  ;  while  in  every  Episcopal 
family,  however  well  informed,  it  is  worthy  of  a  place  as  a  book  of  easy 
and  valuable  reference. 

Thus  much  may  be  said  of  the  design  of  the  present  work.     In  refer- 


ence  to  its  execution  it  is  proper  for  us  to  remark,  that  we  are  not  now 
offering  a  critical  review  of  the  work.  If  such  were  our  object  we  might 
point  out  here  and  there  a  superfluity  to  be  retrenched,  a  defect  to  be  sup- 
plied or  an  obscurity  which  might  be  removed  by  a  new  arrangement  of 
matter.  But  these  faults  (or  what  seem  to  us  to  be  such)  are  incidental 
to  a  new  work,  and  too  inconsiderable,  in  the  present  instance,  to  impair 
the  general  usefulness  of  the  whole.  The  author  has  entered  an  untrod- 
den field,  and  his  work  therefore  is  fairly  entitled  to  a  much  larger  share 
of  indulgence  than,  as  we  believe,  it  will  be  found  to  need.  Regarding 
it  as  a  whole  we  do  not  hesitate  to  commend  it  for  the  soundness  of  its 
principles,  the  variety  of  its  topics,  the  correctness  and  relevancy  of  its 
information,  and  its  fearless  and  uncompromising  avowal  and  advocacy  of 
the  distinctive  features  of  the  Church.  This  last  characteristic,  which  is 
the  pervading  excellency  of  the  work,  will  probably  secure  for  it,  from 
persons  of  loose  Churchraanship,  no  small  degree  of  opposition  and  cen- 
sure :  for  which,  we  trust,  the  author  is  prepared. 

Viewing  the  present  work,  in  connection  with  the  present  position  of 
the  Church  in  our  country,  .we  regard  it  with  peculiar  interest  as  the 
representative  of  a  class  of  literature  adapted  to  her  present  exigencies 
which  is  yet  to  be  formed  anew.  Our  Church,  is  indebted  for  much  of 
her  numerical  strength  to  an  influx  from  other  denominations;  and  unless 
efforts  are  made  by  means  of  popular  books  to  explain  and  defend  the 
peculiarities  of  the  Church,  we  may  find  ourselves  in  danger  of  being 
brought  down  to  their  level  instead  of  seeing  them  brought  up  to  ours. 
Somewhat  has  been  done  in  this  way  by  the  contributions  of  our  own 
clergy  and  by  the  republication  of  the  works  of  divines  in  the  mother 
Church.  Much  more,  however,  remains  to  be  done  :  and  we  sincerely 
hope  that  Mr.  Staunton  may  meet  with  such  success  in  his  present  enter- 
prise as  to  be  encouraged  to  follow  it  up  with  others  of  a  similar  nature. 

From  the  New  -  York  Gazette. 
The  Episcopal  community  are  much  indebted  to  the  enterprising  pub- 
lishers of  this  work  for  supplying  them  with  a  convenient  manual  ex- 
planatory of  the  peculiarities  of  their  Church.  Their  venerable  liturgy,  like 
the  translation  of  the  Bible,  is  a  standard  of  our  language,  and  conse- 
quently fewer  phrases  occur  in  it  which  have  become  obsolete  or  have 
changed  their  signification,  than  in  most  of  the  productions  of  that  period. 
There  are  some  expressioiis,  however,  which  unexplained,  will  either 
be  unintelligible  to  the  modern  English  reader,  or  at  least  will  be 
imperfectly  understood.  All  such  are  amply  elucidated  in  the  Dictionary. 
Independently  of  its  language,  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer  presents  diffi- 
culties of  another  character.  Its  services  are  mostly  unknQwn  in  many 
parts  of  our  country,  and  in  others  their  propriety  is  unappreciated.     A 


3 

popular  exposition  of  them  will  do  much  to  remove  prejudice,  and  prepare 
the  way  for  an  impartial  investigation  of  the  theological  peculiarities  of 
the  Episcopal  Church.  Besides  this,  the  general  reader  will  find  in  Mr. 
Staunton's  volume  much  curious  and  interesting  information,  conveyed  in 
a  style  admirably  adapted  to  his  subject,  at  once  clear  and  forcible,  and 
sometimes  characterized  by  an  enthusiastic  fervor  that  almost  rises  into  elo- 
quence. Though  his  task  is  a  new  and  untried  one,  he  has  performed  it  with 
singular  ability.  His  own  opinions  are  expressed  with  manly  candor  and 
firmness,  and  those  of  others  are  never  misrepresented.  With  reprobation 
of  what  he  honestly  esteems  error,  he  has  no  uncharitable  spirit  to  those 
by  whom  the  error  is  entertained.  We  cordially  commend  this  volume  to 
all,  in  the  assurance  that  all  will  find  in  it  instruction  and  delight. 


Prom  the  Troy  Daily  Whig. 
The  title  of  this  neat  duodecimo  of  about  five  hundred  pages,  expresses 
more  concisely  the  general  character  of  the  work,  or  at  least  explains  its 
object  much  better  than  we  are  able  to  do  in  an  extended  notice.  Every 
one  understands  the  signification  of  the  word  dictionary,  who  is  at  all 
familiar  with  the  vocabulary  of  his  mother  tongue.  The  object  of  the 
author  is,  to  give  an  exposition  of  terms,  phrases,  and  subjects,  connected 
with  the  external  order,  sacraments,  worship,  and  usages  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  with  an  especial  reference  to  its  existence  in  the  United 
States.  The  learned  author,  the  Rev.  William  Staunton,  has,  we  think, 
performed  the  laborious  task  with  great  ability  and  fidelity,  and  contributed 
a  volume  to  the  standard  literature  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  every  way 
worthy  of  its  pure  and  primitive  worship.  The  vocabulary  embraces  such 
words  as  relate  to  the  ministry,  sacraments,  worship,  discipline,  usages, 
etc. — obsolete  words  and  phrases  occurring  in  the  Prayer-book — expres- 
sions liable  to  misconstruction  on  the  part  of  those  not  familiar  with  the 
doctrines  and  views  of  the  Church,  and  words  of  frequent  occurrence  in 
ecclesiastical  and  other  works,  but  not  directly  appertaining  to  the  Protest- 
ant Episcopal  Church.  We  cheerfully  commend  the  work  to  every  intel- 
ligent Episcopalianj  and  to  those  who  would  become  acquainted  with  its 
peculiarities. 

From  the  New-  York  American. 
To  the  readers  for  whom  this  volume  is  more  especially  designed,  our 
recommendation  would  be  needless.  A  full  exposition  of  the  admirable 
ritual  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  in  a  popular  and  attractive  form,  is  a  de- 
sideratum that  has  long  been  felt.  The  excellence  of  the  Book  of  Com- 
mon Prayer  has  been  appreciated  by  intelligent  Christians  of  every  deno- 
mination.    It  has  ever  been  regarded  as  among  the  first  of  devotional 


compositions,  while  its  literary  merits  have  placed  it  among  the  standards 
and  classics  of  our  land's  language.  The  origin  and  history  of  the  ser- 
vices connected  with  the  Prayer-book,  constitute  a  subject  of  interest  to 
the  antiquarian,  while  their  reasonableness  and  propriety  will  be  recog- 
nised in  proportion  as  they  are  understood.  In  the  work  before  us,  those 
expressions  w'hich  in  the  lapse  of  time  have  changed  their  signification, 
or  become  altogether  obsolete,  are  fully  explained.  Many  who  are  fright- 
ened with  the  name  of  a  dictionary,  will  be  surprised  when  we  assure 
them  that  it  not  only  contains  much  useful  information,  but  also  much 
agreeable  reading.  The  style  of  Mr.  Staunton  is  always  clear  and  forcible, 
and  in  the  vindication  of  his  Church,  kindles  into  eloquence.  In  the 
maintenance  of  theological  peculiarities,  his  firmness  has  never  led  him 
into  a  breach  of  the  cardinal  principle  of  charity. 


From  the  Boston  Merca^itile  Journal. 

A  work  of  this  kind  has  long  been  a  desideratum,  and  we  have  for  some 
time  been  anxiously  looking  for  its  appearance.  It  supplies  a  want  which 
has  long  been  experienced,  not  only  by  Episcopalians,  but  by  members  of 
other  denominations,  who  have  been  desirous  to  understand  the  terms, 
phrases,  &c.,  used  in  the  Liturgy  of  the  Church,  and  works  published  by 
her  members.  The  work  is,  of  course,  more  particularly  interesting  to 
EpiscopaUans  than  to  others,  and  probably  will  be  of  more  use  to  them 
than  those  who  are  not  members  of  the  Church;  but  will  be  interesting  and 
useful  to  all.  The  Reverend  author  has  rendered  a  great  service  to  the 
public  at  large,  and  his  work  will  have  an  extensive  circulation.  His  ex- 
planations are  sound  and  practical,  and  may  be  depended  upon  for  their 
accuracy ;  and  those  who  are  desirous  of  understanding  the  views  of 
Episcopalians  on  the  various  subjects  connected  with  thc^  doctrines,  disci- 
pline, and  worship  of  their  Church,  will  be  much  gratified  and  instructed 
by  a  perusal  of  this  work.  The  articles  Absolution,  Altar,  Baptism,  Infant 
Baptism,  Immersion,  Lay  Baptism,  Catechising,  Catechism,  Catechist, 
Catholic,  Ceremony,  Church,  Clerical  Garments,  Communion,  Confirma- 
tion, Episcopacy,  Bishop,  Ordination,  Uninterrupted  Succession,  Holy 
Days,  Lent,  Liturgy,  Missions,  Music  and  Musical  Instruments,  Pulpit, 
Regeneration,  Schism,  Sunday  School,  Unity,  and  others,  give  much  valu- 
able and  accurate  information  on  subjects  about  which  the  views  of  Epis- 
copalians are  not  unfrcquent'y  misunderstood. 

"VVe  learn  by  the  article  entitled  "  Chant,"  that  the  author  has  now  in 
preparation  a  w^ork  on  chanting^  in  which  he  will  give  a  "full  exposition 
of  the  whole  matter  in  detail."  We  rejoice  to  learn  this.  Probably  no 
one  is  more  capable  of  giving  a  complete  and  valuable  work  on  this  inter- 
esting subject,  than  the  Reverend  author  of  this  Dictionary,  and  if  he  ex- 
ecutes that  task  as  well  as  he  has  the  present,  the  Church  will  be  much 
indebted  to  him.     We  shall  look  for  the  new  work  with  much  interest. 

We  have  one  complaint  to  make — and  that  is,  so  valuable  a  work,  and 
one  so  important  for  general  circulation  should  have  been  printed  in  two 
editions,  one  of  which  should  have  been  so  cheap  that  its  price  would  hin- 
der no  one  from  its  purchase.  We  trust  this  defect  will  speedily  be  reme- 
died, and  that  the  work  will  be  found  in  every  Episcopal  family  and  Sunday 
School.     It  deserves  to  be  often  read  and  diligently  studied. 


A 

DICTIONARY 

OP 

THE     CHURCH, 

CONTAINING   AN    EXPOSITION    OF 

TERMS,  PHRASES,  AND  SUBJECTS,  CONNECTED  WITH  THE  EXTERNAL 
ORDER,  SACRAMENTS,  WORSHIP,  AND  USAGES 

OF  THE 

PROTESTMT  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH, 

WITH 

AN    ESPECIAL    REFERENCE    TO    THE    CHURCH    IN    THE 


BY    THE 

REV.  WM. ''STAUNTON, 

Rector  of  St.  Peter's  Church,  Morristown,  New  Jersey. 


SECOND    EDITION,    REVISED,    CORRECTED   AND    ENLARGED,    BY    THE    AUTHOR. 


this  also  we  wish,  even  your  perfection." — 2  Cor.  xHi.  9. 


PHILADELPHIA: 


HERMAN    HOOKER, 

CORNER    OF    CHESNUT    AND    FIFTH    STREETS. 
1840. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1838,  by  William 
Staunton,  in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Southern 
District  of  New  York. 


PREFACE. 


The  design  of  the  present  work  is  chiefly  to  illustrate  and 
explain,  in  a  familiar  manner,  the  external  Order,  Customs, 
and  Language  of  the  Church.  The  writer  has,  therefore, 
confined  himself  mainly  to  these,  without  touching  directly 
on  the  higher  ground  of  the  doctrinal  characteristics  of  the 
Church,  except  in  those  articles  where  the  close  connection 
of  these  with  the  outward  administration  of  the  sanctuary 
furnished  a  justifiable  reason  for  digression. 

The  scope  of  the  work  is  such  as  necessarily  to  embrace 
many  points  of  importance,  already  made  familiar  through 
the  periodical  press,  or  by  the  expositions  of  writers  ever 
ready  to  consecrate  their  services  to  the  Church.  With  the 
province  of  these,  it  is  not  the  object  of  the  present  sketches 
to  interfere.  We  ofier  the  outline ;  others  have  given  the 
finished  picture.  And  the  reader  whose  interest  this  little 
volume  may  have  excited,  will  equally  gratify  himself  and 
the  writer,  by  renewing  his  investigations  in  the  more  elabo- 
rate works  of  others. 

Yet  it  has  long  been  felt  that  a  chasm  existed  in  the  ele- 
mentary literature  of  the  Church,  which  could  only  be  filled 


IV  PREFACE. 

by  a  brief,  but  definite,  explanation  of  terms  and  phrases 
every  where  interwoven  with  the  language,  and  identified 
with  the  usages  and  customs  of  our  institutions.  A  work  of 
easy  reference  was  required,  in  which  every  facility  should 
be  given  for  immediate  information  on  topics  constantly  pre- 
senting themselves.  Words  and  peculiarities  of  expression 
also,  in  no  trifling  number,  bearing  relation  to  our  ecclesias- 
tical forms  and  arrangements,  imperfectly  understood  by 
some,  and  totally  without  meaning  to  others — words  whose 
import  could  not  be  found  without  recurring  to  books  not 
always  accessible,  made  it  desirable  that  some  compendious 
exposition  should  offer  itself  as  a  guide  and  vade  mecum  to 
the  Episcopal  community.  With  this  object,  and  in  the  ab- 
sence of  any  similar  work,  the  present  Ecclesiastical  Manual 
was  projected,  and  is  now  respectfully  offered  to  the  Church. 

It  has  been  the  aim  of  the  writer,  to  notice  the  greater 
portion  of  the  words  requiring  explanation  in  the  Prayer- 
book,  the  Canons,  and  other  standards  of  the  Church.  In 
addition  to  these,  various  other  articles  have  been  introduced, 
on  topics  of  interest,  in  connection  with  the  institutions  of 
the  Church,  and  a  considerable  number  of  words,  scarcely 
requiring  notice  in  the  case  of  adult  readers,  have  been 
inserted  with  a  special  reference  to  young  persons. 

The  vocabulary  embracer — 1.  Such  words  as  relate  to  the 
Ministry,  Sacraments,  Worship,  Discipline,  Usages,  &c.  of 
the  Church.  2.  Obsolete  words  and  phrases  occurring  in 
the  Prayer-book,  &;c.  3.  Expressions  liable  to  misconstrue 
tion  on  the  part  of  those  not  yet  familiar  with  the  doctrines 
and  views  of  the  Church.    4.  A  few  words  of  frequent  occur- 


PREFACE.  V 

rence   in  Ecclesiastical  and  other  works,  but   not  directly 
appertaining  to  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

The  work,  as  before  hinted,  does  not  profess  to  be  a  Theo- 
logical or  Bible  Dictionary,  in  the  ordinary  use  of  the  term. 
Yet,  so  near  and  intimate  is  the  relation  between  the  exter- 
nal  offices  of  the  Church,  and  the  "  better  things  "  which 
await  the  devout  worshipper — so  immutable  is  the  connection 
between  the  faithful  use  of  divine  means,  and  the  sure  enjoy- 
ment of  divine  Messing,  that  nothing  but  violence  could 
sunder  what  God  had  so  joined  ;  and  thus,  occasions  have 
offered  for  spiritual  improvement,  too  frequent  not  to  relieve 
the  dreaded  apprehension  of  technical  wearisomeness.  Thus, 
in  illustrating  the  Church,  we  have  been  led  to  contemplate 
her  divine  Head.  In  describing  the  Spouse,  we  have  not 
forgotten  the  Bridegroom.  And  as  He  is  "  Head  over  all 
things  to  the  Church,"  in  Him  we  have  sought  to  make  all 
things  centre  and  unite.  In  doing  this,  we  have  seen  abun- 
dantly the  spiritual  tendency  of  the  Church,  and  all  the  credit ' 
we  claim  is,  that  we  have  followed  faithfully  her  heavenly 
guiding. 

To  the  reader  we  now  commit  our  labours,  which,  we  trust, 
have  been  pursued  with  the  single  hope  and  purpose  of  doing 
good.  If  we  have  merited  attention,  we  are  thankful.  If  we 
have  at  ail  enlightened  the  intellect,  we  rejoice.  But  if  we 
have  kindled  the  heart,  we  offer  upon  it  the  best  and  earliest 
incense  of  gratitude  and  praise. 

W.  S. 

New.York,  November  3.  1838. 
1* 


DICTIONARY  OF  THE  CHURCH. 


A. 


Abbe^  a  title  of  the  same  import  with  Ahhot^  and  applied 
to  the  head  of  a  religious  house  for  males.  In  the  Church  of 
France,  this  title  has  long  lost  its  appropriate  signification, 
and  been  assumed  by  a  class  of  secular  persons,  neither  pos. 
sessing  nor  looking  forward  to  ecclesiastical  office  or  em- 
ployment. 

Abbess.  The  superior  of  a  nunnery,  or  other  religious 
community  consisting  of  females.  The  authority  of  an 
abbess  in  the  house  over  which  she  presides,  is  similar  to 
that  of  an  abbot  in  a  community  of  males,  except  in  her 
inability  to  perform  the  spiritual  functions  of  the  priesthood. 
Abbey.  A  monastic  house,  or  series  of  buildings,  subject 
to  the  government  of  an  abbot  or  abbess,  and  therefore  con- 
tradistinguished from  priories,  hospitals,  &c. 

The  term  appears  to  have  been  first  applied  to  communi- 
ties of  monks  or  nuns  over  which  abbots  or  abbesses  presided, 
and  to  have  been  subsequently  transferred  to  the  buildings 
themselves.  Abbeys  were  anciently  of  varied  extent  and 
arrangement,  according  to  the  wealth  and  importance  of  their 
respective  establishments.  The  mitred  abbeys  were  the  most 


8  ABBEY. 

eminent;  those  who  presided  over  them  having  (Hke  the 
bishops)  seats  in  Parliament,  by  virtue  of  the  baronies  at- 
tached  to  their  station.* 

In  former  days,  the  wealth  and  influence  of  many  of  these 
establishments  was  very  great.  Some  idea  of  this  may  be 
formed  from  the  extensive  and  magnificent  structures  which 
sprung  up  in  Europe  during  the  prevalence  of  monastic  power, 
and  from  the  princely  splendor  and  exquisite  taste  displayed  in 
the  rearing  and  decoration  of  the  once  glorious  fabrics  now 
mouldering  under  the  hand  of  time,  or  laid  in  ruins  by  a  less 
pardonable  destroyer.  With  the  morals  of  these  institutions,  we 
do  not  here  intend  to  meddle.  Their  history,  if  true,  is  a  terri. 
ble  evidence  of  human  wickedness  in  high  and  sacred  places  ; 
a  record  of  the  most  astounding  perversion  the  world  has  ever 
known,  of  edifices  and  communities  founded  for  holy  purposes, 
to  the  encouragement  of  every  thing  revolting,  impure,  and 
heathenish.  But,  however  this  may  be,  even  if  they  were  dark 
as  midnight  within,  while  pure  as  a  robe  of  light  without,  com- 
mon sense  (not  to  say  intelligent  piety)  will  ever  wonder  at 
the  stupidity  and  utter  folly  of  that  mob-like  fury  which 
involved  in  one  general  wreck,  without  a  particle  of  discrimi- 
nation, the  communities  themselves,  and  the  consecrated 
sanctuaries  they  had  so  wretchedly  abused.  For  once,  sacri- 
lege  and  theft  became  virtues,  and  the  rapacity  of  a  mon. 
arch  was  not  to  be  satisfied  till  the  very  altars  and  sacristies 
were  plundered  of  their  gold  ;  and  the  vessels,  ornaments, 
and  elaborate  works  of  art,  which  the  beneficence  of  ages 
had  brought  together,  were  confiscated  and  recklessly  squan- 
dered,  as  a  peace-offering  to  an  ambition  more  lustful  than 
vandalism  itself.  "  Methinks,"  says  Butler,  "  our  too  zealous 
innovators  were  not  so  well  advised  in  that  general  subver- 
sion of  abbeys  and  religious  houses,  promiscuously  to  fling 
down  all.     They  might  have  taken  away  those  gross  abuses 

♦  Britton's  Arch.  Antiq. 


ABBEY.  9 

crept  in  among  them,  rectified  such  inconveniences,  and  not 
so  far  to  have  raved  and  raged  against  those  fair  buildings 
and  everlasting  monuments  of  our  forefathers'  devotion,  con« 
secrated  to  pious  uses."* 

This  is  very  true,  but  somewhat  tame.     King  Henry  had 
a  deeper  game  to  play  than  the  "  rectifying  of  inconveni- 
ences."     The  dismantling  of  these  edifices  was  the  opening  of 
a  mine  of  wealth  too  fruitful  to  be  spared,  even  at  the  cost  of 
a  thorough  desecration  of  the  noblest  temples  man  ever  built 
to  his  Maker.  "  Unprincipled  rapacity  *  *  *  was  the  true  cause 
of  the  suppression  of  the  religious  houses  in  the   reign  of 
Henry  VHI.     Had  they  possessed  no  estates  to  whet  and  fix 
individual  appetite,"  (continues  a  writer,  with  stinging  sar- 
casm,) "  it  is  somewhat  probable  that  the  alleged  corruption  of 
their  inmates  would  not  have  much  disturbed  the  conscience 
even   of  that  pure-minded   monarch,  and   his  disinterested 
courtiers,  "f  Whether  this  suggestion  be  true  or  not,  a  wiser 
policy  than  that  of  Henry  might  have  carried  the  Reforma- 
tion, as  it  respected  the  abbeys,  &c.  to  a  better  issue.     The 
gold  and  the  silver  were  the  Lord's,  and  so  were  the  "long 
drawn  aisles  and  fretted  roofs"  now  bowed  down  in  desolation 
and  overgrown  with  decay.     From  these,  superstition  and 
immorality  might   have  been  effectually  banished,  and  the 
services  of  a  purer  faith  introduced ;  services  which  would 
have   hallowed  and  redeemed  the   places,   and  filled  their 
courts  with  men  who  had  learned  to  worship  God  "  in  spirit 
and  in  tiuth." 

The  number  of  monasteries  in  England,  at  the  period  of 
the  Reformation,  has  been  variously  estimated.  According 
to  Bishop  Tanner,:j:  it  would  appear  that  "  by  the  act  of  Par- 
liament, passed  in  1535,  about  380  religious  houses,  having 


♦  Anatomy  of  Melancholy. 

t  Cluarterly  Review,  (London,)  1830— p.  111. 

t  Notitia  Monaslica. 


10  ABB 

a  less  revenue  than  £200  a  year,  were  dissolved.  From 
these,  the  crown  derived  a  revenue  of  £32,000,  besides  plate 
and  jewels  to  the  value  of  about  £  100,000.  By  a  subsequent 
act  passed  in  1539,  all  the  remaining  monasteries  were  sup- 
pressed, to  the  number  of  186  ;  the  revenues  of  these 
amounted  to  £100,000  per  annum.  Besides  the  monasteries, 
48  houses  of  the  knights'  hospitallers  of  St.  John  were  also- 
confiscated  to  the  crown." 

Abbot.  The  superior  of  an  abbey  or  religious  community 
of  males.  "  The  word  abbot,  or  ahbat,  as  it  has  been  some- 
times written,  comes  from  abbatis,  the  genitive  of  abbas, 
which  is  the  Greek  and  Latin  form  of  the  Syriac  abba,  of 
which  the  original  is  the  Hebrew  ab,  father."  The  history 
of  Abbots  furnishes  a  remarkable  instance  of  the  acquire- 
ment of  power  by  successive  degrees,  till  it  amounted  to  a 
species  of  despotism,  and  set  at  nought,  in  many  cases,  the 
legitimate  authority  of  the  episcopate  itself.  Originally,  the 
abbot  was  simply  the  chief  or  head  of  an  association  of  lay 
monks,  under  the  immediate  jurisdiction  of  the  bishop  of  the 
diocese,  and  the  priest  of  the  parish.  Before  the  close  of  the 
sixth  century,  the  monks  were  frequently  admitted  to  the 
clerical  office,  and  the  abbot  acquired  the  rank  of  a  chief 
priest,  or,  technically,  an  archimandrite  or  hegumenos. 
Subsequently,  the  abbots  claimed  a  degree  of  dignity  closely 
allied  to  that  of  a  bishop,  and  were  permitted  to  assume  the 
mitre  and  crosier,  the  latter  being  carried  in  the  right  hand, 
to  distinguish  them  from  the  bishops,  who  carried  theirs  in 
the  left.  Finally,  attempts  were  made,  by  the  more  ambitious, 
to  throw  off  entirely  the  authority  of  their  bishops,  and  with 
such  success,  that,  in  certain  cases,  charters  were  obtained 
for  abbeys,  recognizing  their  independence,  and  lodging 
supreme  power  in  the  abbot.  With  this,  the  title  of"  Lord  " 
was  associated,  and,  in  their  exemption  from  episcopal  juris, 
diction,  the  pomp  and  luxury  of  nobility  early  characterized 
the  mitred  abbots.     At  the  present  day,  much  of  the  dignity 


ABS 


11 


-of  the  office,  and  the  splendor  of  its  appendages,  have  passed 
away,  together  with  the  standing  and  influence  of  the  estab- 
lishments  to  which  they  belonged. 

Abbreviations.  In  the  Calendar,  and  in  other  parts  of 
the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  several  words  and  titles  have, 
for  convenience,  been  shortened  or  abbreviated,  by  the  omis- 
sion of  letters.     The  following  list  may  not  be  without  its 


Chr.     -     -      Christmas. 

V.  M. 

Virgin  Mary. 

Ep.  or  Epiph.  Epiphany. 

Ev.  or  E.   - 

Evangelist. 

Sep.     -     -      Septuagesima. 

A.  or  Apos. 

Apostle. 

Sex.     -     -      Sexagesima. 

Min.        .     . 

Minister. 

Quin,  -     -     Quinquagesima. 

Quest.     -     - 

Question. 

Eas.     -     -      Easter. 

Ans.       -     - 

Answer. 

Asc.     -     -      Ascension. 

Ch.        -     . 

Chapter. 

Tr.  or  Trin.  Trinity. 

V.       -     -     . 

verse. 

S.     -     -     -     Sunday. 

to  v.        -     - 

to  verse. 

S.  or.  St.    -     Saint. 

Art.        -     . 

Article. 

Wk.      -     -     Week. 

A.  M.    .     . 

.     Apostle  and 

D.        -     -     Day. 

Martyr. 

To  these  may  be  added — A.  M.  Anno  Mundi,  (in  the 
year  of  the  world) ;  A.  C.  Ante  Christum,  (before  Christ,) 
or  AnnoChristi,  (in  the  year  of  Christ)  ;  B.  D.  Bachelor  of 
Divinity  ;  A.  B.  Bachelor  of  Arts ;  D.  D.  Doctor  of  Divin- 
ity ;  S.  T.  D.  Doctor  of  Sacred  Theology. 

Absolution.  In  the  ecclesiastical  sense,  a  loositigfrom  sin, 
equivalent  to  the  remission  or  forgiveness  of  sin.  The  term 
is  popularly  used,  by  abbreviation,  for  the  forms  in  the  daily 
service  of  the  Church,  and  in  the  Communion  Oflice,  entitled 
"  The  Declaration  of  Absolution." 

The  existence  of  a  power  in  the  priesthood  to  minister 
absolution,  is  one  of  those  things  which  the  Church  assumes 
as  an  incontestable  fact,  the  warrant  for  which  is  drawn  from 
those  remarkable  words  of  Christ,  "  Whose-soever  sins  ye 


12  ABSOLUTION. 

remit,  they  are  remitted,"  &c.*  In  consequence  of  this 
grant,  the  Church  does  not  hesitate  to  assert  the  possession 
of  this  authority,  in  the  words,  "  Almighty  God,  the  Father 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  *  *  *  *  ;j^^^  ^/ren  jpower  and 
commandment  to  his  ministers,  to  declare  and  pronounce  to  his 
people,  being  penitent,  the  absolution  and  remission  of  their 
sins."  And  in  the  form  for  the  Ordering  of  Priests,  the 
Bishop,  as  the  agent  for  perpetuating  the  ministry  with  its 
appropriate  functions,  confers  this  power,  in  the  words,  "  Re- 
ceive the  Holy  Ghost  for  the  office  and  work  of  a  priest  in 
the  Church  of  God,  &c.  Whose  sins  thou  dost  forgive,  they 
are  forgiven :  and  whose  sins  thou  dost  retain,  they  are  re- 
tained," &c. 

From  this,  it  is  most  evident  that,  by  the  power  of  absolv- 
ing penitents,  the  Church  means  something,  (to  say  the  least,) 
otherwise  the  assertion  of  its  existence,  the  conferring  of  it 
in  ordination,  and  the  future  exercise  of  it  in  the  ministra- 
tions of  the  sanctuary,  are  not  only  formal  and  superstitious, 
but  impious,  profane,  and  blasphemous.  And  that  the  Church 
not  only  means  something  by  absolution,  but  that  she  esteems 
this  act  as  one  of  a  very  peculiar  and  solemn  nature,  may  be 
deduced  from  these  further  considerations. 

1.  The  Church,  universally  and  in  all  ages,  has  claimed  the 
power  of  absolution  as  an  integral  part  of  the  priestly  office. 

2.  While  the  Church  admits  deacons  to  preach,  baptize, 
and  perform  other  ecclesiastical  offices,  yet  she  acknowledges 
no  power  in  them  to  administer  absolution.  "  The  benedic- 
tion or  absolution  of  the  penitent  faithful,"  says  Palmer,  "has 
always  been  committed  to  bishops  and  presbyters  in  the 
Christian  Church."t 

3.  The  Church  has  ever  recognized  this  as  an  act  totally 
distinct  from  the  mere  announcing  of  God's  mercy  in  ser- 


*  John  XX.  23. 

t  Origines  Liturgicae,  I.  p.  107. 


ABSOLUTION.  13 

mens,  &c.  "This  remission  of  sins  granted  here  to  the 
priest,  to  which  God  hath  promised  a  confirmation  in  heaven, 
is  not  the  act  of  preaching,  or  baptizing,  or  admitting  men  to 
the  Holy  Communion,  as  you  may  see  in  Matthew  x.  7,  and 
John  iv.  2,  and  1  Cor.  xi.  All  these  powers  were  granted 
before  our  Saviour's  resurrection.  But  this  power  of  remit- 
ting  sins,  mentioned  John  xx.,  was  not  granted  (although  pro- 
mised.  Matt.  xvi.  19)  till  now,  that  is,  after  the  resurrection, 
as  appears  first,  by  the  ceremony  of  Breathing,  signifying 
that  then  it  was  given  ;  and  secondly  by  the  word  Receive, 
used  in  that  place,  verse  22,  which  he  could  not  properly  have 
used,  if  they  had  been  endued  with  this  power  before. 
Therefore,  the  power  of  remitting,  which  here  God  authori- 
zes, and  promises  certain  assistance  to,  is  neither  preaching 
nor  baptizing,  but  some  other  way  of  remitting,  namely,  that 
which  the  Church  calls  Absolution."* 

4.  The  circumstances  connected  with  the  act  are  also 
worthy  of  observation.  It  is  to  be  "  pronounced  "  or  "  de- 
clared,"! "^^  merely  said,  hereby  indicating  authority.  It  is 
to  be  pronounced  by  the  priest  alone,  in  the  daily  service ;  and 
in  the  Communion,  by  the  bishop,  if  present.  It  is  to  be  min- 
istered  by  the  priest  standing,  though  immediately  before  and 
after,  he  is  to  kneel ;  and  while  the  priest  pronounces  it,  the 
people  are  to  continue  kneeling.  It  is  not  to  be  used  at  all, 
till  both  priest  and  people  have  humbly  confessed  their  sins. 
The  inevitable  deduction  from  all  these  considerations,  is,  (as 
we  have  said  before,)  that  absolution,  in  the  view  of  the  Church, 
is  no  figment  or  formality,  but  an  act  of  an  authoritative, 
solemn,  and  highly  peculiar  character. 

We  have  put  the  matter  in  this  simple  inductive  form,  and 
drawn  from  it  the  most  gentle  inference  possible,  in  order  that 
the  way  may  be  cleared  for  the  main  inquiry.  What  is  the 


♦  Bishop  Sparrow's  Rationale, 
t  See  the  wording  of  the  larger  form  of  Absolution. 
2 


14  ABS0LUTI0l5f. 

act  of  absolution  ?  or,  What  particular  spiritual  benefit  does' 
the  Church  suppose  it  confers  ?  In  approaching  this  question^ 
we  beg  the  reader  to  bear  in  mind  the  substance  of  the  fore- 
going remarks.  Let  him  bring  together  the  dignity  of  the 
language — the  solemnity  of  the  manner — the  singularity  of 
the  adjuncts — the  directness,  force,  and  importance  which 
characterize  the  declaration  of  absolution,  and,  we  apprehend, 
he  must  come  to  the  conclusion,  either  that  the  Church  has 
engrafted  in  her  liturgy  a  piece  of  serious  mummery,  (a  sup- 
position which  no  intelligent  Churchman  would  entertain  for 
a  moment,)  or,  that  she  intends  to  inculcate  and  carry  out 
3uch  views  of  this  portion  of  her  services,  as  will  sustain  and 
justify  the  serious  air  she  has  thrown  around  it. 

The  principal  opinions  respecting  the  Absolution,  may  be 
stated  under  four  heads  : 

The  first,  is  that  which  restricts  it  to  the  removal  of  eccle- 
siastical censures,  and  regards  it  only  as  connected  with  the 
outward  discipline  of  the  Church.  However  this  may  be  in- 
cluded in  the  judicialhrm  of  absolution  in  the  English  Pray- 
er Book,*  it  is  certain  that  it  meets  neither  the  language  nor 
the  spiritual  drift  of  the  forms  in  the  public  service.  The 
first  of  these,  avows  a  certain  authority  delegated  to  the  min- 
ister,  "  to  declare  and  pronounce  "  to  the  penitent,  remission 
of  sins,  on  the  ground  that  God  "  desireth  not  the  death  of  a 
sinner"  &c.  And  the  whole  of  both  forms  manifestly  relates, 
not  to  offences  against  the  Church,  but  to  sins  against  God  ; 
not  to  delinquencies  to  be  met  by  ecclesiastical  discipline,  but 
to  moral  transgressions  of  a  deeper  stain,  criminating  and  con- 
demning the  soul.  This  view  of  the  matter  is,  therefore,  too 
superficial  and  limited  for  the  scope  and  language  of  the 
forms  we  are  considering.  Besides,  if  they  relate  simply 
to  a  release  fi'om  Church  censures,  the  question  may  welt 


♦  See  the  office  for  the  "  Visitation  of  the  Sick,"   in  the  English 
Pra3'er-book. 


ABSOLUTION.  15 

ho  asked,  Why  are  they  embodied  at  all  in  the  services 
of  the  Church,  not  to  say,  constantly  used,  even  when  no 
one  present  may  be  under  the  species  of  discipline  here  sup- 
posed ? 

A  second  opinion  regards  the  absolution  as  a  public  decla- 
ration of  the  promises  of  God  to  penitent  sinners,  or,  in 
other  words,  as  an  emphatic  announcement,  before  the  con- 
gregation, of  the  scriptural  terms  of  forgiveness.  But  if  we 
adopt  this  view,  we  inevitably  confound  absolution  with  the 
preaching  or  public  reading  of  the  Scriptures,  two  things 
which,  as  already  shown,  the  Church  keeps  entirely  distinct. 
Besides,  if  the  absolution  be  nothing  more  than  a  simple  pro- 
•clamation  of  divine  mercy,  we  are  brought  again  to  the 
question,  Why  should  the  Church  deny,  in  the  most  pe- 
remptory terms,  any  license  to  lay-readers  and  deacons,  to 
use  these  forms  ?  The  Church  invariably  makes  it  a  priestly 
act ;  while  the  plain  statement  of  the  fact,  that  "  when  the 
wicked  man  turneth  away  from  his  wickedness,  &c.,  he  shall 
save  his  soul  alive,"  together  with  even  more  direct  and  am. 
pie  exhibitions  of  the  terms  of  pardon,  are  recognized  as 
within  the  province  of  any  private  Christian,  and,  for  their 
announcement,  ordination  is  never  demanded.  It  is  remark- 
able  also  that,  in  the  administration  of  the  communion,  if  a 
bishop  be  present,  the  rubric  assigns  JiifM  the  absolution  and 
benediction,  though  the  priest  may  proceed  in  the  consecra- 
tion of  the  elements,  and  even  their  distribution  *•  to  the 
bishops,  priests,  and  deacons,"  *&c.  From  these  considera- 
tions we  infer,  that  the  present  opinion  cannot  be  sustained 
as  fully  expressive  of  ^tbe  sense  of  the  Church  in  her  form  of 
absolution,  much  less  will  it  serve  as  an  interpretation  of  the 
texts  on  which  this  form  and  this  [branch  of  the  priestly 
office  arc  grounded. 

The  third  opinion  is  that  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  which 
regards  absolution  as  the  actual  forgiveness  of  sins,  by  virtue 
of  the  sacerdotal  authority.     To  prevent  any  misstatement 


16  ABSOLUTION. 

here,  we  offer  the  following  quotations  from  a  Roman  Catho- 
lic work,  in  which  the  writer  had  every  motive  to  express 
his  views  in  the  most  moderate  and  conciliating  tone. 
And  we  do  this  in  preference  to  appealing  to  the  authoritative 
decisions  of  the  Romish  Church,  because  we  have  here  an 
informal  interpretation  of  those  decisions,  by  a  bishop  and 
controversialist  of  that  Church,  which  is  of  more  value  to 
us,  in  the  present  case,  than  the  decisions  themselves.  It 
will  be  observed  in  what  follows,  that  the  intervention  of  the 
priest  is  made  necessary  to  the  pardon  of  sin.  "  If  the  con- 
fession made  to  God  alone  were  sufficient,  Jesus  Christ  would 
have  given  to  his  ministers  the  power  of  absolving  to  no  pur- 
pose, because  the  fiist  means  being  more  easy,  and  of  as  cer- 
tain an  effect,  it  is  clear  that  sinners  would  be  perfectly  satis- 
fied  with  it ;  therefore  our  Saviour  would  not  have  spoken 
the  truth,  when  he  promised  to  his  substitutes,  that  whatever 
they  should  bind  upon  earth,  should  be  bound  also  in  heaven  ; 
because  in  spite  of  all  their  bonds,  sinners  would  become  free 
and  unshackled,  by  turning  themselves  directly  to  God.^"^ 
"  We  see  clearly,  that  by  investing  his  ministers  with  the 
power  of  binding  and  loosing,  he  attaches  to  this  power  the 
promise  of  pardon  ;  but  we  no  where  read  that  he  has  attach- 
ed it  to  confession  made  only  to  God."f  "  In  order  to  obtain 
the  pardon  of  his  [the  penitent's]  faults,  it  is  no  longer  sufficient 
for  him,  to  lament  them  in  himself,  and  before  God ;  he  must, 
also,  when  it  can  be  done,  humble  himself  so  far  as  to  confess 
them  without  disguise,  and  to  the  best  of  his  power,  in  order 
to  receive  the  benefit  of  sacerdotal  absolution.":}:  It  is 
scarcely  necessary  to  say,  that  the  extravagant  claim  her© 


*  "An  Amicable  Discussion,"  Slc.  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  J.  F.  M.  Tre- 
vern,  D,  D.,  Bishop  of  Strasburgb,  (late  of  Aire.)  Baltimore  edition. 
Vol.  2,  p.  109. 

t  Ibid.  p.  110.  tibid.  p.  IIL 


ABSOLUTION.  17 

advanced,  finds  no  countenance  in  the  formularies  of  the  Pro- 
testant Episcopal  Church.  The  language  of  the  absolution 
ascribes  the  act  of  forgiveness  solely  to  God.  "  He  pardon- 
eth  and  absolve th,"  dec.  "  Almighty  God  *  *  *  *  pardon 
and  deliver  you  from  all  your  sins,"  &c.  So  also,  in  various 
places  of  the  liturgy  ;  as  in  the  three  Collects  for  Ash  Wed- 
nesday, where  the  Church  has  expressed  herself  with  an 
energy  evidently  directed  against  abuses  on  this  very  point.* 
The  first  Collect  has  these  words  :  "  That  we  may  obtain  of 
thee,  the  God  of  all  mercy,  j;er/ec/  remission  and  forgiveness,^'* 
&c.  The  two  following  are  taken  from  the  "  Commination  " 
office  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  are  levelled  against  pri- 
vate confe>sion,  and  the  corrupt  view  of  absolution  ;  thus — 
"  O  Lord  *  *  *  *  spare  all  those  who  confess  their  sins  unto 
THEE ;  that  they  whose  consciences  by  sin  are  accused,  by 
THY  merciful  pardon  may  be  absolved,"  &c.  Again,  "  Thy 
property  is  always  to  have  mercy  ;  to  thee  only  it  apper- 
taineth  to  forgive  sins."  These  are  but  a  sample  of  the 
proofs  afforded  by  the  Liturgy,  of  the  repugnance  of  the 
Church  to  any  view  of  the  efficacy  of  absolution  correspond, 
ing  with  that  of  the  Church  of  Rome. 

We  now  come,  fourthly,  to  that  statement  of  the  doctrine 
of  absolution,  which,  we  apprehend,  best  agrees  with  revela- 
tion — with  the  limits  of  ministerial  power,  and  with  the  spirit 
of  the  Church. 

It  is  one  of  the  first  truths  of  religion,  that  "  all  have 
sinned  and  come  short  of  the  glory  of  God."  To  be  under 
the  guilt  of  sin,  is  to  be  subject  to  divine  wrath,  for  "the  wages 
of  sin  is  death."  But  God  hath  "  reconciled  the  world  unto 
himself,  by  the  death  of  his  Son,"  making  it  possible,  in  con. 


♦  Ash  Wednesday  and  Shrove  Tuesday  (the  day  previous)  are,  in 
the  Romish  Church,  days  of  confession,  penance,  and  peculiar  hu- 
miliation, connected  with  absolution  in  the  offensive  form  abov« 
stated. 

2* 


18  ABSOLUTION. 

sistency  with  the  divine  perfections,  to  remit  the  guilt  of  sin, 
and  release  the  offender.  The  forgiveness  of  sin  is  not  an 
unconditional  gratuity,  or  an  indiscriminate  exercise  of 
mercy.  Deep  and  heartfelt  penitence  is  invariably  demanded 
in  the  recipient.  God  "  willeth  not  the  death  of  a  sinner," 
but  rather  that  he  may  "turn  from  his  wickedness  and  live." 
Wherever,  therefore,  the  terms  or  conditions  of  pardon  are 
complied  with,  the  blessing  of  forgiveness  must  follow,  rest- 
ing, as  it  does,  on  the  direct  promise  of  God. 

Let  us  now  proceed  one  step  further.  The  agents  between 
God  and  the  souls  of  men,  are  the  authorized  ministers  of  the 
Church,  To  these  is  committed  "  the  ministry  of  reconcilia- 
tion." Among  the  spiritual  powers  given  to  the  Apostles, 
and  through  them  to  their  successors,  was  that  of  declaring 
to  penitents,  in  God's  name,  the  remission  of  their  sins  : 
"  Whose-soever  sins  ye  remit,  they  are  remitted,"  &c.  With 
this  power,  there  was  combined  in  the  Apostles,  the  "  dis- 
cerning  of  spirits,"  so  that  they  were  enabled,  in  a  special 
manner,  to  test  the  spiritual  condition  of  any  one  to  whom 
they  administered  absolution  ;  while  their  successors,  by  in- 
heriting  only  the  ministerial  and  not  the  miraculous  endow- 
ment, are  able  only  to  pronounce  sins  forgiven  to  the  peni- 
tent, without  pretending  to  read  the  state  of  any  man's  heart. 
Has  then  the  withdrawal  of  the  miraculous  gift,  nullified  or 
essentially  impaired  the  power  of  absolution  ?  By  no  means. 
It  still  remains  on  its  original  ground  as  a  function  of  the 
Christian  priesthood,  and  must  continue,  so  long  as  that 
priesthood  lasts.  God  alone  pardoneth  sin.  So,  God  alone 
raiseth  the  dead.  God  alone  maketh  the  blind  to  see,  and 
the  cripple  to  walk,  and  the  sun  to  halt  in  his  course,  and  the 
sea  and  the  Jordan  to  divide.  But  man  may  be  the  agent  in 
all  these  ;  and  if  so,  God  can  invest  him  also  with  authority 
to  pronounce,  in  his  name,  the  forgiveness  of  sins.  This  is 
not  "  an  invasion  of  the  prerogatives  of  God  ;  any  more  than 
it  tends  to  impair  the  privileges  of  a  temporal  governor,  when 


AGO  10 

an  officer  of  his  appointment  delivers  a  sealed  pardon  to  a 
condemned  malefactor."*  This  then  we  believe  to  be  the 
doctrine  of  the  Church  respecting  Absolution.  Nothing 
short  of  this,  will  interpret  her  own  words  with  any  consist- 
ency. Nothing  short  of  it,  will  justify  her  in  asserting  that 
Almighty  God  "  hath  given  power  and  commandment  to  his 
ministers  to  declare  and  pronounce  to  his  people,  being  peni- 
tent, the  absolution  and  remission  of  their  sins.^^  How  widely 
this  view  differs  from  that  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  a  glance 
may  show.  We  dare  not  make  the  agency  of  a  priest  neces- 
sary to  the  forgiveness  of  sins.  We  pretend  not,  on  our  own 
judgment,  to  read  the  heart,  and,  as  it  were,  compel  the  Al- 
mighty  to  pardon,  in  consequence  of  our  verdict.  We  admit 
no  private  absolutions,  predicated  on  formal  or  temporising 
confessions.  We  encourage  no  superstitious  views  of  indis. 
criminate  pardon,  consequent  on  this  act,  and  tending  to 
nourish  among  the  people  an  ungrounded  feeling  of  security. 
We  neither  exact  nor  sanction  any  peculiar  veneration  of  the 
priestly  office,  as  due  to  this  branch  of  its  prerogative.  In 
short,  so  carefully  guarded  is  the  moderate  and  scriptural  use  of 
absolution  by  the  Episcopal  Church,  that,  while  we  are  secure 
of  all  its  benefits,  we  are  protected  against  all  its  abuses ;  for, 
like  the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  and  every  other  function  of 
the  ministry,  absolution  is  not  free  from  the  liability  to  abuse  : 
and  in  this  we  may  rejoice,  that  while  the  framers  of  our 
Liturgy  had  before  their  eyes  the  most  revolting  and  ruinous 
corruptions  of  absolution,  they  had  wisdom  given  them  to 
discern  its  true  nature,  and  skill  to  rescue  it  from  the  evils 
with  which  it  had  been  associated. 

Abstinence.     See  Fasting. 

AcoLYTH,  Acolyte,  or  Acolythist.  From  'AxoXou^o?,  a 
follower,   attendant,  or  companion.     In  the  Latin  Church, 


*  Bishop  Brownell's  Commentary  on  the  Prayer-book^  p.  12, 


20  ADO 

the  designation  of  certain  ecclesiastical  persons,  who  attended 
on  the  Bishop,  assisted  the  clergy  in  some  minor  offices,  and, 
if  found  competent,  were  admitted  by  ordination  to  the  vari- 
ous grades  of  the  ministry.  In  the  Church  of  Rome,  the 
office  of  the  Acolythi  differed  very  little  from  that  of  an  ordi- 
nary sexton. 

Administration.  The  execution  of  the  duties  of  the  Min- 
istry.  In  this  sense,  chiefly,  the  term  appears  to  be  used  by 
the  Church,  implying,  not  the  persons  who  are  intrusted  with 
official  power,  (as  frequently  used  in  civil  affairs,)  nor  the 
office  itself,  but  the  exercise  and  fulfilment  of  the  functions  of 
the  office.  This  sense  it  bears  in  the  Form  for  the  Ordering 
of  Deacons.  "  Almighty  God,  who  *  *  *  didst  inspire 
thine  Apostles  to  choose  into  the  Order  of  Deacons  the  first 
martyr  St.  Stephen,  with  others  ;  mercifully  behold  these  thy 
servants  now  called  to  the  like  office  and  administration,^^  &c. 
Afler  ordination,  a  deacon  is  required,  in  general,  to  continue 
one  year  in  that  office,  "  to  the  intent  he  may  be  perfect,  and 
well  expert  in  the  things  appertaining  to  the  ecclesiastical 
administration,^''  i.  e.,  may  become  familiar,  by  practice,  with 
the  execution  of  his  own  appropriate  duties,  and  by  observa- 
tion,  with  the  functions  of  the  priesthood  to  which  he  aspires. 
See  also  the  second  prayer  for  those  "  who  are  to  be  admitted 
to  Holy  Orders." 

Admonition.  In  the  Canons  of  the  Church  it  is  ordered, 
that  when  a  Clergyman  has  been  found  guilty  of  an  offence, 
not  requiring  severe  discipline,  he  shall  be  admonished,  or 
seriously  warned  and  reproved  by  his  Bishop.  The  sentence 
of  "  admonition  "  is  the  lightest  punishment  which  is  inflicted 
on  an  offending  minister.  The  other  degrees  are  suspension 
for  a  time  from  the  duties  of  his  office,  and  degradation,  by 
which  latter  he  is  deprived  of  his  ministerial  character  alto- 
gether, and  publicly  expelled  from  the  sacred  office.  See 
Degradation  and  Suspension. 

Adoration.     The  rendering  of  supreme  homage  and  wor- 


ADORATION.  21 

ship  to  God.  The  derivation  of  the  word,  (from  ad,  "  to," 
and  OS,  oris,  "  the  mouth,")  points  to  a  very  ancient  form  of 
wors!iip  paid  to  the  gods,  by  applying  the  right  hand  to  the 
mouth  in  a  reverential  manner.  The  term  is  frequently  used 
in  a  more  lax  sense,  to  denote  honor  and  respect  paid  to  per. 
sons  of  rank  and  dignity.  Relative  adoration  "  consists  in 
worship  paid  to  an  object  as  belonging  to,  or  representative 
of,  another.  In  this  sense  the  Romanists  profess  to  adore  the 
cross,  not  simply  or  immediately,  but  in  respect  of  Jesus 
Christ,  whom  they  suppose  to  be  on  it."  Whatever  palliations 
may  be  urged  in  behalf  of  such  worship,  by  its  advocates, 
adoration  before  an  intermediate  object,  is  not  only  unscrip- 
tural,  but  useless,  pernicious,  and,  amongst  the  ignorant, 
scarcely  to  be  distinguished  from  idolatry  itself.  In  reference 
to  this,  the  Church  has  declared  in  her  22d  Article,  that  "  The 
Romish  doctrine  concerning  Purgatory,  Pardons,  worshipping 
and  adoration,  as  well  of  Images  as  of  Reliques,  and  also  invo. 
cation  of  Saints,  is  a  fond  thing,  vainly  invented,  and  grounded 
upon  no  warranty  of  Scnpture,  but  rather  repugnant  to  the 
Word  of  God."  So  scrupulously  has  the  Church  guarded 
herself  against  this  error  of  the  Romanists,  that  in  the  Prayer- 
book  of  the  Church  of  England,  a  protestation  is  appended  to 
the  Communion  Office,  to  meet  an  objection,  sometimes  urged 
against  kneeling  at  the  reception  of  the  Eucharist.  After 
stating  that  this  attitude  is  here  adopted  to  signify  *' our  humble 
and  grateful  acknowledgment  of  the  benefits  of  Christ  therein 
given  to  a.U  worthy  Receivers,"  it  is  added,  "Yet,  les{  the 
same  kneeling  should  by  any  Persons,  either  out  of  ignorance 
and  infirmity,  or  out  of  malice  and  obstinacy,  be  misconstrued 
and  depraved  ;  it  is  hereby  declared.  That  thereby  no  Adora- 
tion is  intended,  or  ought  to  he  done,  either  unto  the  Sacrament- 
al Bread  or  Wine  there  bodily  received,  or  unto  any  Corporal 
Presence  of  Christ's  natural  Flesh  and  Blood.  For  the  Sa. 
cramental  Bread  and  Wine  remain  still  in  their  very  natural 


22  ADV 

substances,  and  therefore  may  not  be  adored  ;  (for  that  were 
Idolatry,  to  be  abhorred  of  all  faithful  Christians)." 

Advent,  Sundays  in.  For  the  greater  solemnity  of  the 
three  principal  Holy-days,  viz :  Christmas,  Easter,  and  Whit- 
sunday, the  Church  has  appointed  certain  days  to  precede  and 
follow  them  with  appropriate  services.  "  The  four  Sundays 
before  Christmas  have  the  name  of  Advent,  from  the  Latin 
compound  verb  ^advenire,^  to  co7ne  to.  They  are  designed 
to  prepare  us  for  celebrating  with  becoming  faith,  seriousness, 
and  devotion,  the  advent  of  Christ  in  the  flesh ;  and  to  direct 
our  view  to  that  second  advent,  when  he  will  come  to  judge 
those  to  whom  he  before  came  to  offer  his  salvation.  The 
language  of  the  Church,  therefore,  in  reference  to  both  views 
of  this  holy  season,  is,  *  Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord'." 

It  has  been  contended,  by  some  of  the  Romanists,  that  this 
holy  season  was  originally  instituted  by  St.  Peter,  and,  there- 
fore, stands  on  apostolic  authority.  But  the  precise  time  of 
its  institution  is  not  so  easily  to  be  determined ;  though  it 
certainly  had  its  beginning  before  the  year  450,  because 
Maximus  Taurinensis,  who  lived  about  that  time,  wrote  a 
homily  upon  it. 

It  is  the  peculiar  computation  of  our  Church,  to  begin  her 
years,  and  to  revive  the  annual  course  of  her  services,  with 
this  time  of  Advent.  For  she  neither  follows  the  course  of 
the  sun,  nor  moon,  to  number  her  days,  and  measure  her 
seasons,  according  to  their  revolution  ;  but  Jesus  Christ  being 
to  her  as  the  only  sun  and  light  whereby  she  is  guided,  fol- 
lowing his  course  alone,  she  begins,  and  counts  on  her  year 
with  him.  When  this  Sun  of  Righteousness,  therefore,  doth 
arise,  that  is,  when  his  coming  and  incarnation  are  first  pro- 
pounded to  us,  then  begins  the  year  of  the  Church,  and  from 
thence  are  all  her  other  days  and  times  computed.* 

"  Adversity.'*     Poverty,  distress,  affliction,  or  any  con. 

♦  Wheatly. 


dition  opposed  to  prosperity.  The  term  may  be  correctly 
applied  to  either  spiritual  or  temporal  evils  ;  but,  in  the  Scrip- 
tures and  the  Prayer-book,  it  is  generally  used  in  reference 
to  the  latter.  The  following  are  examples  in  the  Prayer- 
book  :  "  Mercifully  assist  our  prayers  which  we  make  before 
thee,  in  all  our  troubles  and  adversities,^^  &c.,*  referring  to 
persecutions  and  other  temporal  calamities,  for  aid  against 
which,  this  prayer  was  anciently  used.  Again  :  "  That  we 
may  be  defended  from  all  adversities  which  may  happen  to 
the  body,  [temporal  evils]  and  from  all  evil  thoughts  which 
may  assault  and  hurt  the  soul,"f  [spiritual  evils.]  Again  : 
"  Succor  all  those  who,  in  this  transitory  life,  are  in  trouble, 
sorrow,  need,  sickness,  or  any  other  adversity.^^X  "There 
should  be  no  greater  comfort  to  Christian  persons,  than  to 
be  made  like  unto  Christ,  by  suffering  patiently,  adversities, 
troubles,  and  sickness. "§  "  Blessed  Lord,  *  *  *  give 
him,  [a  criminal  under  condemnation,]  we  beseech  thee,  pa- 
tience in  this  his  time  of  adversity,  and  support  under  the 
terrors  which  encompass  him."|| 

In  all  these  examples,  the  reference  is  obviously  to  evils  of 
a  temporal  character,  though,  by  accommodation,  the  phrase- 
ology may,  in  some  cases,  be  made  to  bear  a  spiritual  appli- 
cation.  See  also  the  Collect  for  the  22d  Sunday  after 
Trinity,  and  the  last  paragraph  of  the  Family  Prayer  for 
Morning. 

"  Advertise."  To  notify,  advise,  or  warn.  "  If  the  min- 
ister shall  know  any  to  be  an  open  and  notorious  evil  liver, 
&c.,  he  shall  advertise  him,  that  he  presume  not  to  come  to  the 


*  Prayer  in  the  Litany,  "  O  God,  merciful  Father,"  &c. 

t  Collect  for  the  2d  Sunday  in  Lent. 

X  Pia\  er  for  the  who'e  stale  of  Christ's  Church  mi^tant. 

§  Exhortation  in  the  Visitation  of  the  Sick. 

II  Prayer  in  the  Visitation  of  Prisoners. 


24  ALL 

Lord's  Table,"  &c.  ;*  i.  e.,  he  shall  privately  advise  or  no- 
tify him  to  that  effect. 

Affusion.  The  act  of  pouring  water  on  the  head  of  a 
person,  in  tlie  sacrament  of  baptism.     See  Immersion. 

Alb.  a  garment,  somewhat  resembling  a  surplice,  an- 
ciently  worn  by  the  Clergy  in  the  administration  of  the  Holy 
Communion. 

"  Alloweth,  favorably."  The  verb  to  allow,  is,  in  this 
phrase,  used  in  the  remote  sense,  to  approve,  justify,  or  sane 
lion.  "Nothing  doubting,  but  that  he  favourably  alloweth 
[approveth]  this  charitable  work  of  ours,  in  bringing  this  In- 
fant  to  his  holy  Baptism. "f 

The  following  quotation  from  Latimer,  may  illustrate  this 
use  of  the  word.  "  St.  Peter,  in  forsaking  his  old  boat  and 
nets,  was  allowed  as  much  before  God,  as  if  he  had  forsaken 
all  the  riches  in  the  world. "f 

All  Saints'  day.  The  festival  of  All  Saints  is  not  of 
very  high  antiquity.  About  the  year  610,  the  Bishop  of  Rome 
ordered  that  the  heathen  Pantheon,  or  temple,  should  be  con- 
verted into  a  Christian  Church.  This  was  done,  and  it  was 
appropriately  dedicated  to  the  honor  of  All  Martyrs ;  hence 
came  the  origin  of  All  Saints,  which  was  then  celebrated  on 
the  first  of  May.  In  the  year  834  it  was  changed  to  Novem- 
ber 1st,  on  which  day  it  is  still  observed.  "  Our  Church 
having,  in  the  course  of  her  year,  celebrated  the  memories  of 
the  holy  apostles  and  the  other  most  eminent  saints  and  mar- 
tyrs of  the  first  days  of  the  gospel,  deems  it  unnecessary  to 
extend  her  calendar  by  any  other  particular  festivals,  but 
closes  her  course  with  this  general  one.  It  should  be  the 
Christian's  delight,  on  this  day,  to  reflect,  as  he  is  moved  by 
the  appointed  scriptures,  on  the  Christian  graces  and  virtues 


*  First  Rubric  in  the  Holy  Communion, 
t  Office  of  Public  Baptism  of  Infants. 
t  Sermon,  Of  the  Householder. 


ALL  25 

which  have  been  exhibited  by  that  goodly  fellowship  of  saints 
who,  in  all  ages,  have  honored  God  in  their  lives,  and  glori. 
fied  him  in  their  deaths ;  he  should  pray  for  grace  to  follow 
them  '  in  all  virtuous  and  godly  living  ;'  he  should  meditate 
on  the  glorious  rest  that  remains  for  the  people  of  God,  on 
which  they  have  entered ;  he  should  gratefully  contemplate 
that  communion  of  saints  which  unites  him  to  their  holy  fellow- 
ship, even  while  he  is  here  militant,  if  he  be  a  faithful  disciple 
of  the  Savior  in  whom  they  trusted  ;  he  should  earnestly  seek 
that  grace  whereby,  after  a  short  further  time  of  trial,  he  may 
be  united  with  them  in  the  everlasting  services  of  the  Church 
triumphant." 

All  Souls.  A  festival  or  holyday  of  the  Romish  Church, 
on  which  special  prayers  are  made  for  the  benefit  of  the  souls 
of  the  departed.  Its  observance  has  been  traced  back  to  the 
year  998,  about  which  time,  as  we  are  told,  a  certain  monk 
whose  curiosity  had  led  him  to  visit  Mount  ^Etna,  which  he 
in  common  with  others  of  that  age,  verily  believed  to  be  the 
mouth  of  hell,  returned  to  his  abbot  with  the  grave  story  that 
he  had  overheard  "  the  devils  within  complain,  that  many  de- 
parted souls  were  taken  out  of  their  hands  by  the  prayers  of 
the  Ciuniac  monks."  The  compassionate  abbot  took  the  hint, 
and  set  apart  the  second  day  of  November,  to  be  annually 
kept  by  his  monks  as  a  day  of  prayer  for  all  souls  departed. 
This  local  appointment  was  afterwards  changed  by  the  Pope 
into  a  general  one,  obligatory  on  all  the  western  churches. 
The  ceremonies  observed  on  this  day  were  in  good  keeping 
Avith  the  purpose  of  its  institution.  In  behalf  of  the  dead, 
persons  arrayed  in  black,  perambulated  the  cities  and  towns, 
each  provided  with  a  loud  and  dismal  toned  bell,  which  they 
runty  in  public  places  by  way  of  exhortation  to  the  people 
to  remember  the  souls  in  purgatory,  and  give  them  the  aid  of 
their  prayers.  In  France  and  Italy,  at  the  present  day,  the 
annual  Jour  des  Mots  is  observed,  by  the  population  resum- 
ing their  mourning  habits,  and  visiting  the  graves  of  their 

3 


26  ALT 

friends,  for  many  years  after  their  decease.  At  the  period 
of  the  Reformation,  the  Church  of  England  abrogated  alto* 
gether  the  observance  of  this  day,  which  is  no  longer  kept, 
except  in  Roman  Catholic  countries. 

Alms.  Gifts  and  offerings  for  the  relief  of  the  poor.  The 
duty  of  almsgiving,  together  with  its  privileges  and  rewards, 
are  constantly  inculcated  in  the  holy  scriptures.  "  Remember 
the  poor,"  is  a  dictate  both  of  natural  benevolence  and  of  re- 
velation ;  and  sympathy  thus  exercised  carries  its  reward  with 
it,  every  emotion  of  a  tender  and  feeling  heart  serving  to 
corroborate  the  divine  saying,  "  It  is  more  blessed  to  give 
than  to  receive." 

From  the  earliest  days  of  the  Church,  it  has  been  custom- 
ary to  approach  the  altar,  at  the  time  of  communion,  with  a 
gift.  "  And  it  is  very  probable  that  at  the  time  of  receiving 
the  sacrament,  all  those  large  donations  of  houses,  lands,  and 
money  were  made,"  of  which  we  read  in  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles.  In  the  Communion  Office  of  our  Church,  provi- 
sion is  made,  in  like  manner,  for  almsgiving  ;  and  sentences 
of  scripture,  referring  to  this  duty,  are  appointed  to  be  read 
while  the  alms  are  collecting.  These  gifts  are  afterwards 
laid  on  the  altar,  and  solemnly  dedicated,  as  an  offering  to 
Almighty  God,  to  be  expended  in  the  relief  of  the  suffering 
members  of  his  Church. 

The  52d  Canon  of  the  General  Convention  provides  that 
"  The  alms  and  contributions  at  the  administration  of  the 
holy  communion,  shall  be  deposited  with  the  minister  of  the 
parish,  or  with  such  Church  officer  as  shall  be  appointed  by 
him,  to  be  applied  by  the  minister,  or  under  his  superintend, 
ence,  to  such  pious  and  charitable  uses  as  shall  by  him  be 
thought  fit." 

Altar.  From  alia,  ara,  an  elevated  table  of  stone,  mar- 
ble, or  wood,  variously  ornamented,  and  usually  situated  at 
one  end  of  the  Church,  within  the  chancel,  for  the  celebration 
of  the  holy  Eucharist.     In  Romish  churches,  smaller  altars 


ALTAR.  27 

are  placed  in  various  other  parts  of  the  building,  for  the  per- 
formance of  religious  services  in  honor  of  the  saints  to  whom 
they  are  respectively  dedicated.* 

The  terms,  Holy  table,  Communion  table,  and  Lord's  table, 
are  sometimes  substituted  by  the  Church,  for  the  word  altar. 
In  popular  discourse,  still  more  frequently,  this  latter  term  is 
either  suppressed,  or  used  with  evident  caution,  as  though 
some  deadly  error  lurked  under  it.  The  pith  of  the  objection 
to  the  word,  (so  far  as  we  have  been  able  to  trace  it,)  lies  in 
the  assumption  that  an  altar  always  implies  the  offering  of  a 
victim  in  sacrifice,  and  that  by  using  the  term,  we  give  coun- 
tenance to  one  of  the  grossest  errors  of  the  Romish  Church. 

In  reply  to  this,  we  contend  that  an  altar  does  not  invaria- 
bly suppose  a  victim,  or  a  bloody  sacrifice.  In  the  Jewish 
temple,  incense  was  daily  offered  upon  an  altar  of  gold,  which 
"  was  solely  appropriated  to  this  purpose,  and  directly  forbid- 
den to  be  used  for  any  bloody  sacrifice."  (See  Ex.  xxx.  9.) 
We  learn  also  from  Leviticus  ii.,  that  offerings  were  made 
consisting  of  flour,  grain,  bread,  cakes,  oil,  and  frankincense, 
&;c.,  being  what  are  commonly  known  as  unbloody  sacrifices. 
Of  these  it  is  said,  "  when  it  is  presented  unto  the  priest,  he 
shall  bring  it  tinto  the  altar,"  &c.,  and  a  portion  of  them  were 
consumed  upon  it.  The  objection  therefore  is  defeated  by 
the  express  words  of  scripture,  and  the  Church  would  be  jus- 
tified, (as  we  shall  presently  see,)  in  using  the  term  altar,  far 
more  exclusively  than  she  actually  does  ;  for  in  the  oblation 
of  the  symbols  of  Christ's  body  and  blood,  there  is,  at  least, 
as  fair  a  ground  for  naming  that  on  which  they  are  offered 
an  ALTAR,  as  that  the  table  on  which  incense  was  offered  should 
be  called  "the  altar  of  incense." 

If  we  advert  to  the  language  of  the  early  Church,  we  shall 
find  these  views  strongly  fortified  by  the  general  use  of  the 
term  in  question.     In  the  second  of  the  Apostolic  Canons, 


Britton's  Arch.  Antiq. 


28  ALTAR. 

(which  are  acknowledged  to  be  very  ancient,)  the  holy  table 
is  thrice  spoken  of  as  "  the  altar."  In  the  African  Code, 
which  was  of  very  great  authority  in  the  old  English 
churches,  we  meet  with  allusions  like  these  :  "  That  they 
who  handle  the  Divine  Sacraments,  and  serve  at  the  altar, 
abstain,"  &c.*  "  That  the  sacraments  of  the  altar  must  not 
be  celebrated  by  any  who  are  not  fasting,"  &c.f  "  The  min- 
istry of  the  altar  J^X  And  so  sacred  was  the  altar  considered, 
that  none  were  suffered  "  to  approach,  but  such  as  were  in 
holy  orders,  unless  it  were  the  Greek  Emperors  at  Constan- 
tinople,  who  were  allowed  to  go  up  to  the  table  to  make  their 
offerings,  but  were  immediately  to  return  back  again. "§  It 
would  appear  that  for  a  period  of  three  hundred  years  after 
Christ,  the  term  altar  was  universally  used  by  the  Church,  and 
it  was  not  until  the  very  same  period  from  which  we  date  the 
rise  of  corruption,  that  other  appellations  came  into  general  ase, 
to  the  prejudice  of  the  original  name.  It  is  very  difficult  to 
account  for  the  universal  use  of  the  term  in  the  first  ages  of 
the  Church,  without  referring,  for  its  introduction,  to  the 
apostles  themselves.  It  seems  to  stand  upon  the  same  ground 
with  many  other  things,  whose  origin  can  be  explained  on  no 
other  hypothesis.  "  We  have  an  altar,"  says  St.  Paul, 
"  whereof  they  have  no  right  to  eat  which  servts  tl>e  taber- 
nacle."||  What  could  this  altar  be?  Certainly  not  the  Jewish 
altar,  as  is  sufficiently  evident  from  the  context.  True,  we 
may  allegorize  or  spiritualize  the  text,  and  obtain  from  it  a 
thousand  divers  meanings ;  but  the  plain  and  direct  sense  of 
the  passage  gives  little  room  to  doubt  that  the  apostle  alluded 
to  the  table  of  the  Christian  sacrifice  of  thanksgiving ;  and  if 


*  Canon  4.  t  Canon  41.  t  Canon  47. 

§  Wheatly.  This  is  stated  on  the  authority  of  the  69th  Trullan  Canon , 
"  That  no  layman  come  within  the  Holy  Chancel,  except  the  Emperor, 
when  he  comes  to  make  his  offering  according  to  trdditioOv" 

II  Hebrews,  xiii.  10, 


ALT  29 

the  term  was  similarly  incorporated  in  the  public  teachings  of 
the  other  apostles,  the  mystery  of  its  adoption  in  every  part 
of  the  Church  is  solved  at  once — it  came  from  inspired  lips. 

But  after  all,  the  term  (we  are  told)  is  used  by  the  Roman- 
ists !  So  much  the  better.  Would  to  God  that  they  were 
equally  primitive  and  scriptural  in  matters  of  deeper  conse- 
quence. The  Romanist  is  not  to  be  blamed  for  using  this 
term,  but  for  the  dangerous  errors  he  associates  with  it — 
errors  with  which,  God  be  thanked,  the  Reformed  Catholic 
Church  is  not  chargeable.  We  apprise  the  objector,  that  he- 
lms aimed  his  lance,  in  this  case,  at  the  wrong  object — at  the 
altar  instead  of  the  sacrifice  upon  it.  The  Romanist,  be  it 
remembered,  contends  that  the  Eucharist  is  a  true  propitiatory 
sacrifice  for  sin ;  while  the  Episcopal  Church  declares  this 
notion  to  be  "  a  blasphemous  fable  and  dangerous  deceit,"* 
and  describes  the  Eucharist  as  "  a  sacrifice  of  praise  and 
thanksgiving,^^ — a  memorial  with  gifts  and  oblations,  offered 
to  the  Divine  Majesty,  of  the  ^full,  perfect,  and  sujficient  sa- 
crifice" once  offered  on  the  cross.  If  this  important  distinc- 
tion had  always  been  kept  in  view,  the  clamor  about  convert- 
ing altars  into  tables  would  have  sunk  to  rest,  entombed  in  its 
own  folly.  With  these  hints,  (already  too  long,)  we  trust 
that  the  Churchman  will  not  permit  himself  to  be  disquieted 
at  the  use  of  a  term,  which  has  scripture,  antiquity,  and  uni- 
versal consent  on  its  side. 

Altar-piece.  Sculpture,  or  painting,  ornamenting  the 
wall,  or  a  window,  screen,  &c.,  in  the  rear  of  an  altar. 

Alternate.  Alternate  reading,  in  the  services  of  the 
Church,  is  when  the  minister  and  people  read  "  by  turns," 
or  "  verse  by  verse,"  as  in  the  Psalms  of  the  day,  which  are 
recited,  one  verse  by  the  minister,  and  the  following  by  the 
congregation. 

In  ancient  times  it  was  also  customary  to  perform  the  sing- 

3*  ♦  Article  XXXI. 


30  AME 

ing  in  the  same  manner,  by  having  two  separate  choirs  in 
each  Church,  one  only  of  which  usually  sung  at  a  time,  except 
in  the  doxologies.  The  custom  is  said,  by  Socrates  the  his- 
torian, to  have  been  first  introduced  among  the  Greeks  by 
Ignatius,  and  among  the  Latins  by  St.  Ambrose.  Theodo- 
ret  attributes  the  practice  to  Diodorus  and  Flavian. 

That  the  chanting  of  the  Psalms  alternately  is  even  older 
than  Christianity,  cannot  be  doubted,  for  the  custom  prevailed 
in  the  Jewish  Temple.  Many  of  the  Psalms  are  actually 
composed  in  alternate  verses,  evidently  with  a  view  to  their 
being  used  in  a  responsive  manner.  In  the  early  days  of  the 
Christian  Church,  this  practice  was  adopted  and  became  uni- 
versal. St.  Basil  tells  us  that  in  his  time,  the  Christians, 
"  rising  from  their  prayers,  proceeded  to  singing  of  psalms, 
dividing  themselves  into  two  parts,  and  singing  by  turns." 
And  Tertullian  remarks,  that  "  when  one  side  of  the  choir  sing 
to  the  other,  they  both  provoke  it  by  a  holy  contention,  and 
relieve  it  by  a  mutual  supply  and  change."  For  these  or 
similar  reasons,  the  reading  of  the  Psalter  is,  in  our  own 
Church,  divided  between  the  minister  and  people.  In  the 
cathedral  worship  of  the  Church  of  England,  the  Psalms  of 
the  day  are  usually  chanted  throughout.  And,  in  order  to 
preserve  their  responsive  character,  two  full  choirs  are  sta- 
tioned one  on  each  side  of  the  church.  One  of  these,  having 
chanted  two  verses,  (the  usual  compass  of  the  chant-tune,)  re- 
mains silent  while  the  opposite  choir  replies  in  the  verses  suc- 
ceeding ;  and  at  the  end  of  each  psalm,  (and  division  of  the 
lIGth  Psalm,)  the  Gloria  Patri  is  sung  by  the  united  choirs  in 
chorus,  accompanied  by  the  peal  of  the  loud  organ. 

Alumnus.  In  its  ecclesiastical  application,  one  who  has 
passed  through  the  required  course  of  study  in  a  Theological 
Seminary. 

Amen.  A  word  adopted  into  our  language  from  the  He- 
brew,  having  for  its  radical  meaning  truly,  or  verily.  Its 
import  varies  slightly  with  the  position  or  connexion  in  wliich 


AMEN.  31 

it  is  placed.  In  the  New  Testament  it  is  frequently  synony- 
mous with  "  verily,"  and  is  retained  in  some  versions  without 
being  translated.  For  example,  "  Amen,  Amen,  I  say  unto 
you."*  At  the  conclusion  of  prayers,  it  signifies,  so  he  it. 
This  explanation  of  it  is  given  by  the  Church  Catechism,  in 
the  words,  "and  therefore  I  say  Amen  :  So  he  it.'^  In  the 
same  sense  it  occurs  in  Rev.  xxii.  20,  "  Surely  I  come  quickly. 
Amen.  Even  so,  come.  Lord  Jesus."  Sometimes  it  signi- 
fies  a  ivish,  as  in  Numbers  v,  22.  After  the  repetition  of  the 
Creed  it  assumes  the  form  of  an  ajjirmation,  as  "  yes,  I  fully 
believe  it."  At  the  close  of  exhortations,  &c.,  it  expresses 
assent  and  approval. 

In  the  primitive  Church,  the  Amen  was  considered  as  a 
most  important  part  of  the  service,  being  the  ratification,  on 
the  part  of  the  people,  of  the  prayers,  &c.  ofiered  for  them  by 
the  priest.  We  are  told  by  Clement  of  Alexandria,  that  they 
were  accustomed,  in  some  places,  to  pronounce  the  Amen 
with  such  fervency  and  energy,  that  their  desire  seemed  to 
be  that  the  word  should  carry  up  their  bodies  as  well  as  their 
souls  to  heaven.  St.  Jerome's  remark  is  also  well  known  : 
— "  In  similitudinem  coslestis  tonitrui  Amen  reboat."  [The 
Amen  echoed  like  the  thunders  of  heaven.]  A  practice  the 
very  reverse  of  this,  has  unfortunately  gained  a  far  too  exten- 
sive sanction  in  the  American  Church.  In  some  degree,  this 
may  be  attributed,  we  conjecture,  to  the  jejune  mode  in  which 
the  Amen  is  given  by  our  choirs.  Musical  composers,  with 
a  lack  of  taste  not  less  remarkable  than  their  entire  oversight 

o 

of  the  import  of  the  word,  have  couched  it  in  strains  as  un- 
meaning as  puerile,  and  thereby  degraded  that  which  should 
be  the  proclamation  of  an  unwavering  faith,  into  something 
not  very  remote  from  a  half-smothered  token  of  unbelief. 
Organists  and  singers,  with  too  much  indulgence  for  the  false 


♦  Rhcmish  Testament. 


32  ANA 

taste  of  the  composer,  have  given  authority  to  the  error,  and 
from  them  the  evil  has  extended  itself  to  the  responses  of  the 
congregation.  The  Amen  is  now  but  a  sigh  or  a  groan.  It 
has  lost  its  honors,  and  been  robbed  of  its  potency.  Why 
should  not  devotion  once  more  assert  its  rights,  and  the  impe- 
rial sound  of  the  Amen  echo  as  in  the  days  of  Jerome  ?  "  Let 
the  ancient  customs  prevail,"*  and  the  seal  of  our  faith,  and 
the  sanction  of  our  professions,  be  raised  again  to  its  deserved 
dignity. 

Anabaptists.  Allusion  is  made  in  Article  XXXVIII.  to 
this  sect,  which  sprung  up  in  Germany  about  the  year  1521. 
The  great  project  aimed  at  by  the  Anabaptists  was  the  form- 
ation  of  a  pure  and  perfect  Church,  such,  we  take  it  for 
granted,  as  the  world  had  never  seen,  or  the  Apostles  ever 
thought  of.  And  thus  they  went  about  it : — In  the  first  place, 
they  claimed,  of  course,  to  be  acting  under  a  divine  impulse ; 
and,  to  substantiate  this,  took  to  themselves  the  power  of 
working  miracles  ;  the  privilege  of  seeing  visions ;  and  the 
very  convenient  faculty  of  receiving  new  revelations.  The 
next  step  was  the  evolving  of  a  train  of  new  doctrines,  admi- 
rably  illustrative  of  their  notions  of  Christian  liberty,  and 
asserting  the  entire  needlessness  of  civil  government  to  those 
who  lived  by  the  gospel; — the  folly  of  retaining  in  Christian 
society  any  distinctions  arising  from  rank,  wealth,  &c. ;  to- 
gether  with  the  propriety  of  forming  a  common  stock  of  pro- 
perty, from  the  proceeds  of  which  an  equal  distribution  should 
be  made  among  all  the  membei's  of  the  fraternity.  Their  faith, 
it  seems,  soon  brought  forth  works ;  for,  to  the  stubborn  com- 
mon sense  of  Luther  and  his  co-workers,  this  Protestant 
monkery  was  not  a  whit  better  than  the  Popish ;  nay,  was 
even  more  lawless  and  unshapely  ;  and  as  a  reward  for  their 
contempt  of  it,  the  Anabaptists,  with  Munzer  at  their  head. 


♦  Canon  VI.  of  the  Council  of  Nice. 


ANA  33 

took  up  other  arms  than  the  word  of  God,  and  arraying  them- 
selves against  all  existing  laws  and  government,  whether 
civil  or  ecclesiastical,  boldly  entered  the  field,  and  defended 
their  cause  with  as  much  vigor  as  enthusiasm,  till  they  were 
overthrown  and  defeated  by  the  Elector  of  Saxony,  and  driven 
from  the  contest,  with  the  loss  of  Munzer,  their  general. 

The  reader,  by  comparing  dates,  will  find,  that  while  the 
sentiments  and  the  doings  of  the  Anabaptists  were  still  fresh 
in  every  one's  mind,  the  Church  of  England  was  engaged  in 
the  holier  enterprise  of  bringing  to  perfection  the  Book  of 
Common  Prayer.  To  check  at  once  the  introduction  among 
churchmen,  of  those  dogmas  which  had  led  to  bloodshed  and 
all  manner  of  mischief  on  the  continent,  the  3!^th  Article  was 
framed,  in  which  one  of  these  vagaries  is  reprobated  in  plain 
terms.  About  the  same  time,  or  at  the  last  review  of  the 
Prayer-book,  it  was  judged  expedient  to  insert  an  "Office  for 
the  Baptism  of  such  as  are  of  riper  years  ;  which,  although 
not  so  necessary  when  the  former  Book  was  compiled,  yet  by 
the  growth  of  Anabaptism,  through  the  licentiousness  of  the 
late  times  crept  in  amongst  us,  is  now  become  necessary,  and 
may  be  always  useful  for  the  baptizing  of  Natives  in  our 
Plantations,  and  others  converted  to  the  Faith."* 

Anathema.  A  term  adopted  from  the  Greek,  signifying  a 
thing  set  apart,  appropriated,  or  devoted.  In  its  ecclesiastical 
use,  it  expresses  the  authoritative  separation  of  a  person  from 
the  communion  of  the  faithful,  and  the  privileges  of  the 
Church.  In  this  sense,  it  amounts  to  the  same  as  excommu- 
nication, and  in  the  early  Church  this  was  probably  the  ex. 
tent  of  its  meaning.  "  I  can  really  understand  nothing  by  it," 
says  a  writer,  "  but  a  full  excommunication,  and  therefore 
think  the  one  no  more  unlawful  than  the  other,  "f 

In  the  canons  and  decrees  of  councils,  it  has  frequently 


♦  Preface  lo  the  English  Prayer-book. 

t  Johnson  on  the  Canonical  Codcis. 


34  ANC 

been  employed  as  a  brand  upon  those  who  were  disposed  con- 
tumeliously  to  withstand  the  decisions  of  the  Church.  The 
following  are  among  the  earliest  instances  in  which  it  was 
thus  used,  with  the  exception  of  the  anathema  against  Arius, 
at  the  Nicene  Council,  (not  given  in  the  canons,)  and  that 
against  Novatus,  under  Cornelius,  Bishop  of  Rome. 

"  If  any  one,  under  pretence  of  religion,  does  advise  a  slave 
to  despise  his  master,  and  run  away  from  his  service,  and  not 
to  serve  him  with  good  will  and  all   honor,  let  him  be  ana- 

"  If  any  one  teach  that  the  house  of  God,  and  the  assemblies 
held  therein,  are  to  be  despised,  let  him  be  anaihema.'"-\ 

"If  any  one,  under  the  pretence  of  religion,  abandon  his 
own  children,  and  do  not  educate  them,  and  so  much  as  in 
him  lies,  train  them  up  to  an  honest  piety,  but  neglect  them, 
under  pretence  of  being  an  Ascetic,  let  him  be  anathema»^^X 

A  more  intense  meaning  has  sometimes  been  given  to  the 
term,  analogous  to  that  of  a  curse.  In  this  sense,  it  would 
seem  to  be  used  by  the  Church  of  Rome  in  the  anathematiz- 
ing of  heretics  and  their  opinions. 

"  Ancient  canons."  The  laws  and  rules  concerning 
order,  discipline,  &c.  enacted  by  Councils  of  Bishops  in  the 
early  ages  of  the  Church.  Reference  is  frequently  made  to 
these  in  the  Homilies,  &c.,  not  only  as  indicative  of  the  opin. 
ions  and  practice  of  the  early  Church,  but  as  deserving  a 
certain  degree  of  respect  in  the  legislation  of  the  Church  in 
the  present  day.  The  first  four  General  Councils,  however, 
are  those  whose  decisions  are  entitled  to  the  greatest  weight. 
See  Council.  In  the  form  for  the  consecration  of  Bishops, 
allusion  is  made  to  the  "  ancient  canons,"  in  such  a  connec- 
tion  as  to  imply  the  recognition  of  a  peculiar  degree  of  rever. 


*  3(1  Canon  of  the  Council  of  Gangra.  t  5th  Canon  of  do. 

t  15lh  Canon  of  do. 

The  above  Canons  were  enacted  not  later  than  A.  D.  340. 


ANC  35 

ence  tor  them ;  for  the  whole  series  of  questions  proposed 
to  the  Bishop  elect,  is  grounded  on  the  fact  that  "  the  Holy 
Scriptures  and  the  ancient  canons,  command  that  we  should 
not  be  hasty  in  laying  on  of  hands,"  &c.  Dean  Comber  has 
the  following  remark  on  this  part  of  the  Ordinal : — "  This 
method  of  asking  questions  of  the  candidate  for  a  bishoprick 
is  grounded  on  divers  ancient  canons,  especially  on  that  of 
the  fourth  Council  of  Carthage  ;  where  it  is  expressly  requir- 
ed, and  where  all  the  particulars  to  be  inquired  of,  as  to  his 
manners,  his  learning,  and  especially  as  to  his  faith,  are  set 
down  at  large ;  and  unless  he  could  give  an  account  in  all 
particulars,  the  Metropolitan  was  not  to  consecrate  him; 
From  this  canon,  which  also  cites  the  place  of  St.  Paul,  our 
Church  hath  taken  this  preface,  being  like  also  to  the  most 
ancient  forms  in  the  Western  Church." 

St.  Andrew's  day.  "  This  festival  is  celebrated  in  com- 
memoration  of  St.  Andrew,  who  was,  first  of  all,  a  disciple  of 
St.  John  the  Baptist,  but  being  assured  by  his  master  that  he 
was  not  the  Messias,  and  hearing  him  say,  upon  the  sight  of 
our  Savior,  "  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God!  "  he  left  the  Baptist, 
and  being  convinced  himself  of  our  Savior's  divine  mission, 
by  conversing  with  him  some  time  at  the  place  of  his  abode  ; 
he  went  to  his  brother  Simon,  afterwards  surnamed  Peter  by 
our  Savior,  and  acquainted  him  with  his  having  found  out 
the  Messias  ;  but  he  did  not  become  our  Lord's  constant  attend- 
ant,  until  a  special  call  or  invitation." 

After  the  ascension  of  Christ,  when  the  Apostles  distributed 
themselves  in  various  parts  of  the  world,  St.  Andrew  preached 
the  gospel  first  in  Scythia,  and  afterwards  in  Epirus.  After 
this,  he  is  said  to  have  visited  Cappadocia,  Galatia,  Bithynia, 
and  the  vicinity  of  Byzantium.  He  finally  suffered  death  by 
crucifixion,  at  ^gea,  by  order  of  the  proconsul  of  the  place. 

The  instrument  of  his  death  is  said  to  have  been  in  the 
form  of  the  letter  X,  being  a  cross  decussate,  two  pieces  of 


3d  ANT 

timber  crossing  each  other  in  the  middle  ;  and  hence  usually 
known  by  the  name  of  St.  Andrew's  cross. 

Angelic  Hymn.  A  title  given  to  the  hymn  or  doxology 
beginning  with  "  Glory  be  to  God  on  high,"  &c.  It  is  so 
called  from  the  former  part  of  it  having  been  sung  by  the 
angels,  on  their  appearance  to  the  shepherds  of  Bethlehem, 
to  announce  to  them  the  birth  of  the  Redeemer.     See  Gloeia 

IN  EXCELSIS. 

Annunciation  o/'^/ie  jBZe55ed  Virgin  Mary.  This  festival 
is  appointed  by  the  Church,  in  commemoration  of  that  event 
in  which  it  was  announced  to  Mary,  by  an  angel,  that  she 
should  be  the  mother  of  the  Messiah. 

Ante-communion.  That  part  of  the  Order  for  the  Holy 
Communion,  which  precedes  the  exhortations,  prayers,  &c. 
connected  with  the  actual  celebration  of  the  Eucharist.  It 
has  for  many  ages  been  customary  to  view  the  Communion 
service  as  embracing  three  main  divisions.  I.  The  Ante- 
communion,  or  the  preparatory  portions ;  having  a  general 
reference  to  the  sacrament,  but  yet  not  touching  on  its  imme- 
diate celebration.  2.  The  Communion  proper,  formerly 
styled  the  canon,  including  the  consecration  and  distribution 
of  the  elements.  And,  3.  The  Post-communion,  or  prayers, 
anthems,  &c.  which  follow  after  the  reception  of  the  sacra- 
ment. 

The  English  and  American  Prayer-books  differ  somewhat 
in  assigning  the  limits  of  the  Ante-communion.  In  the  first 
book  of  Edward  VI.  it  appears  to  have  embraced  the  ofTer- 
toiy,  and  in  the  English  Prayer-books  now  in  use,  the  rubric 
extends  it  "  until  the  end  of  the  general  prayer,  [for  the  whole 
state  of -Christ's  Church  militant  here  on  earth]."  In  the 
American  Prayer-book,  the  rubric  does  not  authorize  the  min- 
ister to  proceed  further  than  the  end  of  the  Gospel,  unless 
"  when  there  is  a  Communion." 

The  Ante-communion,  when  including  the  prayer  "  for  the 
whole  state  of  Christ's  Church  militant,"  bears  a  considerable 


ANTE-COMMUNION.  *  37 

resemblance  to  the  Missa  Catechumenorum  of  the  ancient 
Church,  or  "  that  part  of  the  services  at  which  the  Catechu- 
mens, who  were  not  admitted  to  the  reception  of  the  Euchar- 
ist, were  allowed  to  be  present."*  There  was  this  difference, 
however,  that  in  the  early  ages  of  the  Church,  the  Eucharist 
was  generally  administered  every  Sunday,  so  that  the  Ante- 
communion  was  not  recited  as  a  detached  portion  of  the  office, 
but  in  its  immediate  connection  with  the  administration  of  the 
sacrament,  from  which  the  Catechumens  were  always  ex- 
cluded. 

Still  it  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  th^re  were  not  occasions 
on  which  the  practice  corresponded  m6re  nearly  with  that 
which  now  prevails ;  for  in  both  the  Eastern  and  Western 
Churches,  it  sometimes  happened  that  large  portions  of  the 
Communion  service  were  used,  without  being  followed  by  the 
"consecration  of  the  mysteries."  In  this,  the  Church  testi- 
fied her  desire,  as  she  still  does,  to  unite  her  children  on  every 
Sunday,  in  this  sublime  act  of  worship,  thereby  inviting  their 
weary  souls  to  a  perpetual  and  heavenly  feast. 

It  is  somewhat  unfortunate  that  in  the  American  Prayer- 
book,  the  rubrics  relating  to  the  use  of  the  Ante-commu- 
nion, are  much  less  clear  than  in  the  English.  The  altera- 
tions which  they  underwent  in  our  early  Conventions,  were 
doubtless  intended  to  meet  one  or  two  contingencies,  for 
which  provision  was  not  made  in  the  English  Prayer-book, 
The  effect,  however,  has  been  to  convey  an  ambiguity  of 
meaning,  tending  to  obscure  rather  than  to  illustrate  the  de- 
si  cm  of  the  Church,  and  to  give  at  least  the  shadow  of  a 
sanction  to  the  occasional  omission  of  this  portion  of  the  Com- 
munion office.  But  whatever  clashing  there  may  seem  to  be 
between  the  rubrics  as  they  now  stand,  the  sense  of  the 
Church,  in  regard  to  the  use  of  the  Ante-communion,  cannot 


Wheatly. 
4 


38  ANTE-COMMUNION. 

well  be  mistaken.  The  regular  use  of  it  is  invariably  attend- 
ed by  a  consciousness  that  the  design  of  the  Church  has  been 
met ;  whereas  the  omission  of  it  is  sure  to  create  in  the  mind 
a  vague  suspicion  of  error,  not  to  be  allayed  even  by  the 
most  plausible  construction  of  the  rubrics.  On  this  ground 
aloney  therefore,  it  might  be  judged  safest  to  take  the  affirma- 
tive side,  and  let  the  Ante-communion  be  read  on  every  Sun- 
day  and  other  occasion  for  which  a  Collect,  Epistle  and  Gospel 
have  been  provided. 

But  there  are  other  reasons  for  its  use,  and  strong  ones 
too.  We  shall  here  only  glance  at  them,  and  leave  the  reader 
to  form  his  own  conclusions : — 

1.  The  fact,  that  "  the  Collect,  Epistle,  and  Gospel  ap- 
pointed for  the  Sunday,  shall  serve  all  the  week  after,"  is  proof 
that  the  Church  designed  the  daily  Morning  Prayer  to  be  fol- 
lowed by  the  daily  Ante-communion, 

2.  The  rubric  appended  to  the  "  Circumcision  of  Christ," 
requires  that  "  The  same  Collect,  Epistle  and  Gospel  shall 
serve  for  every  day  after,  unto  the  Epiphany."  This  includes 
several  days ;  but  as  the  Epistle  and  Gospel  are  never  read 
except  with  the  full  Ante-communion,  that  service  must  be 
performed,  if  the  requisition  of  the  Church  is  met. 

3.  The  rubric  at  the  end  of  the  25th  Sunday  after  Trinity 
is  grounded  entirely  on  the  understanding  that  the  Ante-com- 
munion  is  to  be  read  on  every  Sunday. 

4.  The  omission  of  this  service  involves  the  surrender,  or 
the  depreciation,  of  a  large  part  of  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer.  To  say  nothing  of  the  vast  importance  of  keeping 
the  moral  law  constantly  sounding  in  the  ears  and  engraven 
on  the  hearts  of  the  people,  it  is  beyond  all  question,  that  the 
strong  features  which  distinguish  the  Sundays  and  holy.days 
of  the  Church,  and  give  them  individuality,  are  found  chiefly 
in  the  Ante-communion  service.  The  Lessons,  we  grant, 
are  admirably  chosen,  and  well  adapted  to  illustrate  the  par- 
ticular event,  or  doctrine,  commemorated  on  a  holy. day ;  but 


ANTE-COMMUNION.  39 

the  moment  we  touch  on  the  Ante-communion,  a  broad  flood 
of  light  is  cast  upon  the  subject,  leaving  no  doubt  in  the 
mind;  that  the  Church  reserved  her  best  strength,  and  her 
finest  painting,  for  the  introductory  part  of  her  Communion 
offices. 

5.  Without  the  Ante-communion,  the  morning  service  un- 
dergoes a  remodeling,  by  the  insertion  of  the  Sermon  in  a 
place  not  assigned  to  it;  for,  as  this  is  specifically  provided 
for  in  the  service  we  are  considering,  there  is  no  more  au- 
thority for  introducing  it  until  we  arrive  at  its  proper  place, 
than  there  is  for  delivering  it  before  or  after  the  Creed,  or  in 
the  midst  of  the  Litany.  So,  also,  there  will  be  a  similar  un- 
authorized transposition  of  the  order  for  the  publishing  of 
the  bans  of  matrimony,  and  other  notices.  These  are  to  be 
read  only  at  the  close  of  the  Gospel  of  the  day ;  and  if  intro- 
duced elsewhere  in  the  morning  service,  are  manifestly  out  of 
place  and  irregular. 

6.  The  omission  of  the  Ante-communion  is  in  opposition 
to  the  universal  practice  of  the  Church.  In  the  primitive  age, 
the  Holy  Communion  was  administered  on  every  Lord's  day 
at  the  least,  and  the  Ante-communion,  of  course,  formed  an 
integral  part  of  the  regular  Liturgy,  or  service.  But  it  was 
also  used  in  a  detached  form,  as  with  us.  Authority  for  this 
we  have  already  referred  to,  and  of  a  very  early  date.  It 
appears,  also,  that  in  the  middle  ages  a  practice  prevailed, 
*'  under  the  appellation  of  missa  sicca,  or  missa  nautica.  The 
earliest  notice  of  this  practice,  according  to  Bona,  is  in  the 
writings  of  Petrus  Cantor,  who  flourished  A.  D.  1200  ;  and  it 
seems  to  have  prevailed  extensively  in  the  west  for  some  cen- 
turies afterwards.  The  missa  sicca,  or  '  dry  service,'  as  it 
was  called,  consisted  of  a  repetition  of  all  the  preparatory 
and  concluding  parts  of  the  Liturgy,  omitting  the  canon,  No 
elements  were  laid  on  the  table,  and  there  was  neither  conse- 
cration  nor   communion.      This  certainly  approaches  very 


40  ANT 

nearly  to  the  office  enjoined  by  the  Church  of  England,  when 
there  is  no  Communion."* 

The  Church,  after  the  Reformation,  finding  that  she  could 
not  restore  and  enforce  the  primitive  practice  of  celebrating 
the  Communion  on  every  holy-day,  appointed  the  constant 
reading  of  the  Ante-communion  on  the  intervening  days, 
as  the  best  token  she  could  offer  of  her  solicitude  for  ihe  re- 
storation of  the  original  usage,  and  as  constituting  a  portion 
of  her  holy-day  services,  which  could  not  be  omitted  without 
rupturing  the  admirable  system  prevailing  throughout  her  ec- 
clesiastical year. 

To  the  above  reasons,  we  beg  leave  to  add  the  concluding 
words  of  a  communication  on  this  subject,  made  by  the  Amer- 
ican Bishops  to  the  House  of  Clerical  and  Lay  Deputies,  at 
the  General  Convention  of  1821  ; — "The  Bishops  deem  it 
their  duty,  to  express  the  decided  opinion,  that  the  rubrics  of 
the  Communion  service,  as  well  as  other  general  considera- 
tions, enjoin  the  use  of  that  part  which  precedes  the  sermon,  on 
all  occasions  of  sermon  or  communion,  as  well  as  on  those  fes- 
tivals and  fasts  when  neither  sermon  nor  communion  occurs." 

Anthem.  Originally,  a  hymn,  in  alternate  or  responsive 
parts.  The  term  is  now  chiefly  applied  to  poetical  and  musi- 
cal compositions  of  a  sacred  character,  more  free  and  elabo- 
rate in  their  style  than  ordinary  psalmody,  and  adapted  to 
the  use  of  the  Church  on  festivals  and  other  special  occasions. 

Anthems  are  said  to  have  been  first  introduced  into  the 
Church  of  England  in  the  early  part  of  the  reign  of  Elizabeth ; 
since  which  time  they  have  occupied  a  distinguished  place  in 
the  Cathedral  service,  and  brought  into  exercise  a  variety  of 
talent,  combining  science  with  devotion,  which  otherwise 
might  have  been  lost  to  the  Church,  or  expended  to  its  injury-. 

The  anthems  of  the  old  English  school  of  music,  were 
usually  founded  on  select  passages  of  scripture  ;  but  the  word, 

♦  Origines  Liturgies,  I.  p.  1C4-5. 


APO  41 

by  later  usage,  extends  itself  to  the  greater  portion  of  those 
musical  compositions  for  the  use  of  the  Church,  which  rank 
above  the  grade  of  the  ordinary  psalm  or  hymn  tune. 

In  the  Prayer-book,  the  term  is  applied  to  any  devotional 
hymn,  &c.  occurring  in  the  regular  service  of  the  Church. 
The  introductory  Psalm  in  the  Order  for  the  Burial  of  the 
Dead,  is  styled  an  anthem;  also  the  selections  before  the 
Collect  for  Easter-day.  With  a  similar  general  application 
it  is  to  be  understood  in  the  lines — 

"  O  come,  loud  anthems  let  us  sing, 
Loud  thanks  to  our  Almighty  King." 

Antiphon,  or  Antiphony.  A  chant  or  hymn,  sung  by  two 
choirs,  or  portions  of  the  congregation,  alternately  responding 
to  each  other.  The  Antiphon  is,  in  all  probability,  one  of  the 
most  ancient  forms  of  Church  music,  and  is  still  preserved  in 
the  Cathedrals  of  the  Church  of  England.     See  Alternate. 

Antiphony,  or  Antiphonarium.  In  the  ancient  Church, 
a  book  containing  the  anthems  or  verses  for  the  beginning  of 
the  Communion,  the  Offertory,  &c.  "  It  was  often  called 
<  Graduale,'  because  some  of  the  anthems  were  chanted  on 
the  steps  (gradus)  of  the  ambon,  or  pulpit."* 

Antistes.  a  title  frequently  applied  in  ecclesiastical 
history  to  a  prelate  or  bishop. 

"Any  wise."  See  Article  X.  "  The  Baptism  of  young 
children  is  in  any  wise  to  be  retained  in  the  Church,"  &c.  ; 
that  is,  it  should  hy  all  means  be  continued. 

Apocrypha.  Certain  ancient  books,  partaking  of  the  style 
of  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  but  not  admitted  by  protestants  into 
the  Canon.  The  books  to  which  this  title  refers,  were  for 
many  ages  interspersed  with  the  canonical  books  of  scripture. 
In  this  form  they  appear  in  the  Septuagint,  the  Vulgate,  and 
various  other  translations.  At  the  period  of  the  Reformation' 
they  were  judiciously  separated  from  the  inspired  books,  and 


♦  OrJcrines  Liturgies,  I.  p.  308. 


42  APOCRYPHA. 

inserted  in  a  place  by  themselves  between  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments.     A  list  of  them  is  given  in  Article  VI. 

The  line  of  distinction  between  the  Apocryphal  books  and 
the  writings  of  inspired  men,  has  been  clearly  laid  down  by 
the  Church.  Notwithstanding  this,  objections  have  repeat, 
edly  been  made  to  their  insertion,  at  any  time,  in  the  same 
volume  with  the  Sacred  Scriptures.  The  danger  apprehended 
is  that  of  confounding  them  with  the  pure  word  of  God,  and 
thus  unintentionally  misleading  the  unwary  reader.  It  does 
not  appear,  however,  that  this  evil  has  ever  been  felt,  the 
precautions  of  the  Church  being  too  strong  to  permit  such  a 
result.  And  it  is  questionable  whether  the  fact  has  in  any 
case  occurred  of  error  and  mischief  arising  from  this  cause. 
As  a  general  rule,  the  tendency  has  been  in  an  opposite 
.direction,  so  that  the  Apocryphal  books  do  not  receive  the 
attention  they  really  merit.  Their  elevated  morality — their 
valuable  historic  matter,  and  their  elegance  of  style,  are  little 
known  to  the  general  reader  ;  and  instead  of  their  being 
-mistaken  for  the  word  of  God,  the  mass  of  Christians  are 
generally  more  ignorant  of  them,,  than  of  the  writings  of  hea- 
then antiquity. 

:  But  there  is  a  still  graver  charge  against  the  Church,  viz., 
the  appointing  of  portions  of  these  books  to  be  read  in  her 
-public  services.  In  the  Church  of  England  a  much  larger 
part  of  the  Apocrypha  is  read  than  in  the  American  Church. 
In  the  table  of  Sunday  Lessons,  the  inspired  books  alone  are 
set  forth.  In  the  Offertory,  three  verses  from  Tobit  are  in- 
troduced, but  even  these  are  not  obligatory,  though  contain- 
ing nothing  but  sound  exhortation  and  doctrine.  The  Bene- 
dicite  (after  the  Te  Deum)  is  also  left  to  the  discretion  of  the 
minister.  On  several  of  the  holy-days,  lessons  are  appointed 
to  be  read  from  Wisdom  and  Ecclesiasticus.  These  are 
selected  with  great  judgment,  and  contain  nothing  repugnant 
to  the  word  of  God,  but  very  much  to  illustrate  and  enforce  it. 

The  ground  on  which  the  Church  rests  this  practice,  is  that 


APOCRYPHA.  43 

of  primitive  and  universal  custom.  The  place  she  assigns 
the  Apocrypha,  and  all  the  benefits  she  expects  from  its  use, 
may  be  learned  from  her  6th  Article.  "  The  other  books,  (as 
Hierome  saith,)  the  Church  doth  read  for  example  of  life,  and 
instruction  of  manners ;  but  yet  doth  it  not  apply  them  to  es- 
tablish any  Doctrine."  This  is  certainly  a  very  moderate 
statement,  scarcely  amounting  to  the  claim  the  Church  makes 
for  her  own  Homilies.  In  the  Introduction  to  the  English 
Prayer-book,  it  is  also  said,  "  nothing  is  ordained  to  be  read 
[in  public  service]  but  the  very  pure  word  of  God,  the  Holy 
Scripture,  or  that  which  is  agreeable  to  the  same,^^  evidently 
alluding  to  the  selections  from  the  Apocrypha. 

After  this  plain  expression  of  the  opinion  of  the  Church,  we 
have  only  to  remark, 

1.  That  these  readings  do  not  operate  to  exclude  the  use  of 
the  pure  word  of  God.  The  second  lesson  on  holy. days  is  in- 
variably from  the  Canonical  Scriptures ;  and  even  if  it  were 
not  so,  the  Church  service  is  so  abundantly  furnished  with 
scripture  and  scriptural  instruction,  that  the  depriving  of  the 
people  of  the  bread  of  life  must  ever  be  among  the  last  things 
a  Churchman  need  fear. 

2.  The  bare  announcing  of  a  lesson  from  the  Apocrypha 
is  sufficient  to  guard  every  man  from  the  danger  of  mistaking 
it  for  Holy  Scripture.  No  one  ever  mistakes  the  Te  Deum 
or  the  Benedicite  for  the  word  of  God  ;  neither  is  there  a 
greater  liability  to  err  in  respect  to  the  Apocryphal  lessons. 

3.  It  is  lawful  and  customary  to  introduce  human  compo- 
sitions into  the  worship  of  God.  The  appointed  portions  of 
the  Apocrypha  stand  on  much  the  same  authority  with  the 
Confessions,  Exhortations,  Collects,  Hymns,  &c.,  which  make 
up  a  large  part  of  the  public  service.  All  these  are  set  forth 
by  the  Church,  and  are  not  the  fruits  of  rash  decision,  but 
of  sober  reflection,  deep  forethought,  and  an  earnest  desire  for 
the  prosperity  of  true  religion,  and  a  consequent  increase  of . 
the  glory  of  God. 


44  APOSTLES. 

Apostles.  Literally,  persons  sent  out  or  deputed  by  a 
higher  power.  Appropriately,  those  who,  in  the  first  age  of 
the  Christian  Church,  were  invested  with  the  full  powers  of 
the  ministry,  including  the  right  and  the  ability  of  conferring 
ordination,  and  of  exercising  a  plenary  ecclesiastical  jurisdic- 
tion. Originally  the  Apostles  were  twelve  in  number,  and 
derived  their  commission  immediately  from  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  Their  names  are  given  in  Matt.  x.  2,  Mark,  iii.  16, 
&c.,  Luke,  vi,  14,  &c.  After  the  ascension  of  our  Lord, 
Matthias  was  added  to  the  number,  to  fill  the  apostolic  seat 
or  "  bishopric  "  from  which  Judas  fell.  The  appointment  of 
Saul  of  Tarsus  to  the  same  office,  occurred  about  two  years 
after  ;  and  in  this  interim  it  is  probable  that  Andronicus  and 
Junia  were  intrusted  with  the  apostolic  authority.*  Besides 
these,  we  find  others  bearing  the  title  of  Apostles,  and  exer- 
cising  their  peculiar  prerogatives,  among  whom  are  Barna- 
has,  Timothy,  Titus,  and  Silvanus. 

The  Apostles  were  the  first  prelates  or  chief  officers  of 
the  Christian  Church,  holding  the  same  ecclesiastical  rank 
which  is  now  enjoyed  by  those  denominated  "  Bishops."  That 
they  exercised  a  supreme  power  in  the  government  of  the 
Church  is  manifest ;  and  in  like  manner,  the  authority  to 
administer  ordination,  and  the  rite  of  confirmation,  is  con- 
fined  exclusively  to  the  Apostles.  This  may  be  affirmed 
without  hesitation — the  New  Testament  and  the  concurrent 
practice  of  the  Church  for  1800  years  amply  sustaining  the 
position.  Efforts,  it  is  well  known,  have  been  made,  of  late 
years,  to  embarrass  the  general  subject  of  ordination  ;  but 
notwithstanding  this,  the  wit  of  man  has  never  been  able 
to  cope  with  the  invulnerable  truth  we  have  just  stated — a 
truth  on  which  is  based  and  erected  the  primitive  and  Catho- 
lic doctrine  of  the  Christian  ministry. 

It  is  not  intended  here  to  anticipate  what  we  have  to  say 

♦  Compare  Romans,  xvi.  10. 


APOSTLES.  45 

under  the  head  of  Episcopacy  ;  but  it  may  be  worth  while  to 
bring  forward  a  few  evidences  of  the  fact,  that  the  superiority 
of  the  apostolic  rank  did  not  depend  on  the  gift  of  miracles, 
or  the  possession  of  certain  external  advantages  or  peculiar 
privileges,  but  on  the  holding  of  a  certain  distinguished  minis- 
terial office. 

It  cannot  be  denied,  nor  does  any  Episcopalian  pretend  to 
deny,  that  the  Apostles  were  endowed  with  many  valuable  and 
extraordinary  gifts.  But  we  do  contend  that  they  were  not 
constituted  Apostles  on  account  of  these  things,  or  that  the 
apostolic  office  depended  on  such  uncommon  endowments. 
For,  if  we  look  a  little  further  into  the  matter,  we  shall  find 
many  others  who  were  similarly  gifted.  Will  any  one  say 
that  the  power  of  working  miracles  gave  the  Apostles  this  au- 
thority ?  We  answer  that  it  did  not :  for  Philip  the  deacon, 
and  Stephen,  had  this  power,  the  former  of  whom  astonished 
the  people  of  Samaria  with  the  exercise  of  this  very  gift. 
Neither  were  the  Apostles  particularly  distinguished  from  the 
other  ministers  or  elders,  (as  Bishop  H.  U.  Onderdonk  justly 
remarks,) "  because  they  were  appointed  by  Christ  personally ; 
for  some  are  named  Apostles  in  Scripture  who  were  not  thus 
appointed,  as  Matthias,  Barnabas,  and  probably  James  the 
brother  of  our  Lord,  all  ordained  by  merely  human  ordainers. 
Silvanus  also,  and  Timothy,  are  called  Apostles,  and,  besides 
Andronicus  and  Junia,  others  could  be  added  to  the  list.  Nor 
were  the  Apostles  thus  distinguished  because  they  had  seen 
our  Lord  after  his  resurrection,  for  five  hundred  brethren  sav/ 
him.  And  though  the  twelve  Apostles  were  selected  as  spe- 
cial witnesses  of  the  resurrection,  yet  others  received  that 
appellation  who  were  not  thus  selected,  as  Timothy,  Silvanus, 
Andronicus,  Junia,  (fee.  It  follows,  therefore,  or  will  not  at 
least  be  questioned,  that  the  Apostles  were  distinguished  from 
the  elders,  because  they  were  superior  to  them  in  ministerial 
power  and  rights."* 

•  Episcopacy  Tested  by  Scripture. 


46  APOSTLES. 

The  official  duties  of  the  Apostles  we  find  laid  down  in 
their  commission,  though  in  general  terms  :  "  Go  ye,  and 
teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them,"  &c.  Some  remarkable 
powers,  as  we  grant,  were  given  to  these  first  ministers,  to 
enable  them  with  success  to  cope  with  the  prevalent  idolatry — 
to  expose,  without  intimidation,  the  horrible  licentiousness 
and  degradation  of  the  Gentile  world,  and  to  awake  and  call 
to  repentance,  those  who  with  wicked  hands  had  crucified  the 
Lord  of  life.  They  were  therefore  endowed  with  the  gifts  of 
wisdom,  knowledge,  faith,  prophecy,  discerning  of  spirits,  &c. 
But  (as  some  one  remarks)  "  such  gifts  have  no  more  con- 
nection with  ministerial  duties,  than  learning  has  with  the 
performance  of  baptism."  These  did  not  afiect  their  official 
rank  at  all :  and  between  the  ministerial  acts  of  the  Apostles, 
and  those  ordinary  duties  performed  by  our  present  bishops, 
there  is  no  real  and  essential  difference.  Suppose  that  the 
gift  of  miracles  should  at  this  day  be  imparted  to  one  of  our 
bishops :  should  we,  on  this  account,  regard  him  as  in  the 
slightest  degree  advanced  in  official  authority  over  his  fellow 
bishops  ?  By  no  means  ;  for  though  God  had  vouchsafed  him 
facilities  for  the  performance  of  his  appropriate  duties,  and 
had  put  into  his  hands  extraordinary  means  of  attesting  the 
truth  of  the  Gospel  ;  yet,  all  these  things  stand  apart  from 
his  proper  office  as  a  bishop ;  and  unless  God  should  specially 
interpose  to  advance  him  to  a  primacy,  he  would  undoubtedly 
be  culpable  in  assuming  it.  If  St.  Paul  himself  should  return 
from  his  sepulchre,  and  come  among  us  with  the  same  high 
endowments  which  rendered  him  so  eminently  conspicuous  in 
the  college  of  the  Apostles,  we  have  no  reason  to  infer  that 
he  would  assume  an  official  superiority  above  all  other 
bishops,  or  that  they  would  be  justified  in  submitting  to  him  if 
he  should.  So  little  has  even  the  gift  of  miracles  to  do  with 
ministerial  rank.  There  can  be  no  question,  that  every 
Christian  bishop  in  the  wide  world  would  regard  him  with  the 
most  extraordinary  admiration  and  reverence  ;  but  all  this 


Apo  47 

time  the  ojicial  rank  of  the  primitive  Apostle,  and  that  of  tlic 
modern  bishops,  would  remain  on  a  perfect  equality  ;  and  an 
ordination  performed  by  the  former,  would  be  of  no  greater 
efficacy  or  validity  than  if  performed  by  any  of  the  latter. 

We  trust  that  this  will  be  enough  to  show  that  the  posses- 
sion of  extraordinary  gifts,  does  not  in  the  least  affect  the 
rank  in  the  ministry  of  the  person  possessing  them  ;  and  as 
these  gifts  in  the  Apostles  have  been  mistaken  for  the  pos- 
session of  a  peculiar  ministry,  the  correcting  of  the  error 
establishes  the  fact,  that  the  doings  of  the  apostles  are  to  be 
considered  simply  as  the  exercise  of  ordinary  episcopal 
powers,  which  had  nothing  in  them  but  what  might  be,  and 
wh^i  has  been  imparted  to  others  as  their  successors.  See 
UisHop  and  Episcopacy. 

Apostles'  Creed.     See  Creed,  Apostles'. 

Apostolic,  or  Apostolical.  Terms  expressive  of  such 
things  as  were  done  by  the  Apostles,  or  were  agreeable  to 
their  doctrine  and  practice,  or  cotemporaneous  with  the  age 
in  which  they  lived.  Thus,  the  "Apostolical  Epistles"  are 
those  in  the  New  Testament,  written  by  St.  Paul  and  the 
other  Apostles.  "  Apostolic  Order  "  is  that  external  form  of 
Ministry  and  discipline  which  the  Church  received  from  the 
Apostles  under  the  direction  of  the  great  Head  of  the  Church. 

Apostolic  Fathers.  The  title  of  Fathers  has  been  ffiven 
to  certain  bishops,  &c.,  who  distinguished  themselves  in  the 
early  ages  of  the  Church.  Of  their  writings  many  have  been 
preserved  to  the  present  day,  and  form  an  invaluable  treasure 
of  piety,  as  well  as  a  body  of  testimony  to  the  existence  of 
facts  respecting  the  order  and  doctrine  of  the  Church  in  their 
remote  age.  Between  the  inspired  Apostles,  and  those  sim- 
ply styled  "  Fathers,"  were  four  venerable  men,  who  from 
having  had  personal  acquaintance  with  the  Apostles,  and  the 
benefit  of  their  immediate  instruction,  are  distinguished  by 
the  title  of  '*  Apostolic  Fathers."  These  were  Clement  of 
Rome,  Ignatius,  Polycarp,  and  Hcrmas.     To  these,  Barnabas 


48  ARC 

the  apostle  is  usually  added.  The  Epistles  and  other  writ, 
ings  of  these  eminent  saints  are  still  extant.  A  more  admi- 
rable appendix  to  the  pure  word  of  God,  and  a  more  trust- 
worthy comment  on  the  principles  taught  by  inspired  men, 
cannot  be  conceived.  As  eye-witnesses  of  the  order  and 
discipline  of  the  Church,  while  all  was  fresh  and  new  from 
the  hands  of  the  Apostles,  their  testimony  forms  the  very 
summit  of  uninspired  authority.  None  could  better  know 
these  things,  than  those  who  lived  and  wrote  at  the  very 
time.  None  deserve  a  devouter  reverence  than  those  who 
proclaimed  the  gospel  while  the  echo  of  inspired  tongues  yet 
lingered  in  the  ears  of  the  people.  (An  American  edition  of 
the  writings  of  the  Apostolical  Fathers,  enriched  with  ex- 
planatory notes,  has  been  published  by  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Press,  New- York.) 

Apostolicity.  a  term  sometimes  employed,  for  want  of  a 
better,  to  express  the  quality  of  being  apostolical,  or  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  doctrines,  practice,  and  times  of  the  apos- 
tles; e.  g.,  The  rite  of  confirmation  not  only  commands  our 
admiration  on  account  of  its  beauty,  but  our  obedience,  on  the 
higher  ground  of  its  apostolicity. 

"  Apparent."  Used  in  the  sense  of  manifest,  evident,  or 
impending,  in  the  "  Thanksgiving  for  Peace  and  Deliverance 
from  our  Enemies,"*  thus— "  We  yield  thee  praise  and 
thanksgiving,  for  our  deliverance  from  those  great  and  appa- 
rent dangers  wherewith  we  were  encompassed." 

Archbishop.  We  introduce  this  term,  not  because  it  has 
any  immediate  connection  with  the  American  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  (in  which  there  are  no  archbishops,)  but 
to  meet  the  frequent  inquiry  respecting  the  nature  and  pre- 
rogatives of  the  office  as  it  exists  in  the  mother  Church  of 
England. 

The  prefix  Arch,  is  expressive  of  precedence  and  superi- 


Occasional  Thatiksgiving  in  the  Piayer-book. 


ARCHBISHOP.  49 

ority ;  it  is  not  to  be  understood,  in  the  present  case,  nor  in 
that  of  Archdeacon,  as  implying  a  distinct  order  of  the  min- 
isUy,  but  only  a  more  ample  power  of  jurisdiction  vested  in 
one,  with  the  concurrence  of  others  who  enjoy  the  same  spi- 
ritual rank. 

The  title  of  Archbishop  does  not  occur  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment, nor  in  the  earliest  periods  of  Church  history.  About 
the  fourth  century  it  appears  in  connection  with  the  names 
of  Cyril,  Bishop  of  Jerusalem,  and  Celestinus,  Bishop 
of  Rome.  The  more  definite  title  of  Metropolitan,  and  also 
that  of  Primate,  were  more  generally  used  to  indicate  the 
same  office,  or  the  Bishop  of  a  chief  city,  having  suffragans 
under  his  direction  in  towns  and  cities  in  the  contiguous 
country. 

The  Church  of  England,  with  its  dioceses,  is  divided  into 
the  two  Provinces  of  Canterbury  and  York,  over  each  of 
which  an  Archbishop  presides,  who  exercises  a  certain  juris- 
diction over  the  Clergy  in  his  province. 

The  peculiar  duties  of  an  Archbishop  of  the  Church  of 
England  have  been  thus  stated:  "  He  has  the  inspection  of 
the  Bishops  of  his  province,  as  well  as  of  the  inferior  clergy, 
and  may  deprive  them  on  notorious  causes.  He  confirms 
the  election  of  Bishops,  and  afterwards  consecrates  them.  He 
may  appoint  coadjutors  to  a  Bishop  who  has  grown  infirm. 
He  may  confer  degrees  of  all  kinds  ;  and  censure,  and  ex- 
communicate, suspend,  or  depose,  for  any  just  cause.  He  has 
also  his  own  Diocese  wherein  he  exercises  episcopal  jurisdic- 
tion, as  in  his  Province  he  exercises  archiepiscopal.  During 
the  vacancy  of  any  see  in  his  province,  he  is  guardian  of  the 
spiritualities  thereof,  as  the  king  is  of  the  temporalities;  and 
during  such  vacancy,  all  episcopal  rights  belong  to  him,  arid 
he  executes  all  ecclesiastical  jurisdiction  therein,  such  as  the 
power  of  granting  licenses  to  marry,  probate  of  wills,  admin- 
istration to  intestates'  estates,  and  also  admissions  and  institu- 

5 


50  ARC 

tions."*  To  this  statement  maybe  added  that  "  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury  claims  the  right  of  placing-  the  crown 
upon  the  head  of  the  King  at  his  coronation  ;  and  the  Arch- 
bishop of  York  claims  to  perform  the  same  office  for  the 
Q.ueen  consort." 

When  Archbishops  are  vested  with  their  powers,  they  are 
said  to  be  enthroned.  The  same  act,  in  the  case  of  Diocesan 
Bishops,  is  denominated  installation. 

The  Archbishop  of  Canterbnry  is  styled  "  Primate,  and 
Metropolitan  of  all  England  ;"  the  Archbishop  of  York,  sim- 
ply "  Primate  of  England."  Both  have  the  title  of  Grace, 
and  "  Most  Reverend  Father  in  God  by  Divine  Providence," 
while  the  ordinary  Bishops  have  that  of  Xor^,  and  "  Right 
Reverend  Father  in  God,  by  Divine  permission." 

Archdeacon.  In  the  Church  of  England  the  Archdeacons 
are  a  class  of  presbyters,  invested  with  certain  powers  of 
superintendence  and  jurisdiction,  under  the  superior  control  o{ 
the  Bishops.  The  office  is  not  to  be  considered  as  consti- 
tuting a  distinct  order,  grade,  or  rank  of  the  ministry  ;  neither 
are  the  spiritual  functions  of  the  Archdeacons  in  any  respect 
superior  to  those  of  other  priests.  The  Archdeaconship 
rests  simply  on  the  appointment  of  the  Church,  which  has 
authority  to  continue  or  to  annul  ihe  office  as  expediency  may 
suggest. 

The  Archdeacon  exercises  his  duties  in  what  is  technically 
called  his  "district,"  which  may  be  a  pan  or  the  whole  of  a 
Diocese.  He  is  usually  nominated  and  appointed  by  the. 
Bishop,  and  "  has  power  to  hold  visitations  when  the  Bishop 
is  absent ;  to  examine  clerks  for  ordination,  as  also  to  insti- 
tute and  induct,  on  receipt  of  the  Bishop's  mandate  to  that 
effect.  He  has  his  separate  court  for  hearing  ecclesiastical 
causes,  proving  wills,  granting  administrations,  and  for  the 
punishment  of  offenders,    by   spiritual   censures.     Also   the 

*  Laws  relating  to  the  Clergy,  by  the  Rev.  David  Williams, 


ART 


51 


right  of  inspecting  and  reforming  irregularities  and  abuses 
among  the  clergy  ;  and  has  a  charge  of  the  parochial  Churches 
within  the  diocese  ;  in  a  word,  according  to  the  practice  of, 
and  latitude  given  by  the  Canon  law,  he  is  to  supply  the  Bish- 
op's room,  and  in  all  things  to  be  the  Bishop's  vicegerent,"* 
i.  e.,  in  all  things  which  do  not  infringe  upon  the  spiritual 
powers  of  the  Bishop,  or  those  things  which  demand  epis- 
copal authority,  and  cannot,  therefore,  be  delegated  to  a  priest. 

Arciideaconky.  The  district  through  which  the  visitorial 
and  corrective  power  of  an  Archdeacon  extends.  Of  these 
there  are  sixty  in  the  Church  of  England,  each  of  which  has 
its  own  Archdeacon.  "  The  division  of  Dioceses  into  Arch- 
deaconries, and  the  assignment  of  particular  divisions  to  par- 
ticular Archdeacons,  is  supposed  to  have  begun  in  England 
about  the  time  of  the  Norman  conquest."! 

Archiepiscopal.  Pertaining  to,  or  having  connection  with 
an  Archbishop. 

Articles  of  Religion.  The  thirty-nine  Articles  were 
drawn  up  at  the  period  of  the  Reformation,  and  set  forth  by 
the  highest  ecclesiastical  authority,  as  a  declaration  of  the 
doctrine  of  the  Church  on  sundry  points,— a  testimony  against 
the  errors  of  the  Romanists  and  'Others,  and  a  standard  by 
which  uniformity  might  be  maintained,  and  peace  secured 
throughout  the  Church. 

That  there  was  need  of  some  authoritative  decisions  of  this 
kind,  will  not  be  denied,  by  any  one  aware  of  the  corruptions 
of  the  faith  which  had  long  kept  possession  of  the  public 
mind,  and  of  the  perils  always  attendant  on  any  considerable 
revolution  of  religious  opinions.  The  continental  reformers 
found  the  necessity  of  embodying  their  conceptions  of  Chris- 
tian truth  in  certain  formularies  known  as  "confessions"  of 
faith.  In  the  year  1552,  the  same  motives  led  "the  Bishops  and 


*  Laws  relating  to  the  Clergy, 
t  IbiJ. 


52  ARTICLES   OF  RELIGION. 

Other  learned  and  good  men,  in  the  convocation  held  at  Lon- 
don," to  agree  upon  forty-two  Articles,  in  order  "  to  root  out 
the  discord  of  opinions,  and  establish  the  agreement  of  true 
religion."  These  forty-two  Articles  were  subsequently  pub- 
lished under  the  royal  authority  of  Edward  VI.,  the  reigning 
monarch.  The  restoration  of  Popery,  on  the  accession  of 
Q,ueen  Mary,  blighted  for  awhile  the  prospects  of  theChuich, 
and  occasioned  the  repeal  of  these  Articles.  But  in  the 
early  part  of  the  reign  of  Elizabeth,  the  royal  assent  was  given 
to  "  Thirty-nine  Articles,  agreed  upon  by  the  Archbishops 
and  Bishops  of  both  provinces,  and  the  whole  Clergy,  in  the 
Convocation  holden  at  London  in  the  year  1562,  for  avoiding 
diversities  of  opinion,  and  for  the  establishing  of  consent  touch- 
ing true  religion."  This  was  ten  years  after  the  framing  of 
the  forty-two  Articles  of  Edward  VI.  In  the  year  1571,  the 
Articles  underwent  a  further  revision,  and  were  finally  settled, 
authorized,  and  publicly  set  forth  in  the  form  in  which  they 
now  appear. 

The  writers  of  the  articles  are  not  certainly  known.  It  is, 
however,  generally  conceded,  that  Cranmer  had  a  principal 
part  in  their  composition.  The  strictest  care  seems  to  have 
been  taken  in  framing  them,  and  the  rough  draft  was  sub- 
mitted to  many  of  the  ablest  Bishops  and  divines,  whose  opi- 
nions "  were  collated  and  examined  very  maturely  ;  all  sides 
had  a  free  and  fair  hearing  before  conclusions  were  made.'"* 

"  The  thirty-nine  Articles  may  be  considered  under  four 
general  divisions:  the  first  five  contain  the  Christian  doc- 
trines concerning  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost; 
in  the  sixth,  seventh,  and  eighth,  the  rule  of  faith  is  established  ; 
the  next  ten  relate  to  Christians,  as  individuals;  and  the  re- 
maining twenty-one  relate  to  them,  as  they  are  mem.bers  of 
a  religious  society.  But,  as  all  confessions  of  faith  have 
had  a  reference  to  existing  heresies,  we  shall  here  find,  not 
only  the  positive   doctrines  of  the  gospel  asserted,  but  also 

*  Burnet. 


ART  53 

the  principal  errors  and  corruptions  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  and 
most  of  the  extravagancies  into  which  certain  protestant  sects 
fell  at  the  time  of  the  Reformation,  rejected  and  condemned."* 

Articles,  Lambeth.  The  following  sketch  is  framed 
from  a  history  of  these  Articles,  by  J.  Ellis,  S.  T.  D.,  Lon- 
don, 1660. 

In  the  University  of  Cambridge,  (England,)  there  are  two 
famous  Professorships,  viz:  Regius,  and  Margaret.  In  the 
latter  part  of  the  reign  of  Glueen  Elizabeth  these  were  filled 
by  Whitaker  and  Peter  Baron.  Whitaker  was  a  man  of 
considerable  learning,  and  his  judgment  carried  great  weight 
which  way  soever  he  took.  Having  married  into  a  family 
zealous  for  the  Genevan  doctrine,  he  on  this  ground,  or  some 
other,  became  attached  to  the  party;  and  with  ruminating  on 
the  opinion  of  absolute  prede.'^tination,  was  resolved  to  advance 
and  carry  it  out,  asserting  that  the  reprobation  which  was 
passed  upon  the  mass  not  yet  corrupted,  was  not  purely  nega- 
tive, but  did  include  an  affirmation ;  for,  says  he,  this  is  the 
Decree  and  Will  of  God,  whereby  so  many  men  run  into 
eternal  miseries, 

Peter  Baron,  it  seems,  had  also  considered  of  this  matter, 
and  was  moved  by  these  paradoxes  of  Whitaker  to  search 
more  diligently  into  all  the  parts  of  this  argument.  Here- 
upon he  fell  into  a  controversy  with  Whitaker  about  predes- 
tination, a  falling-offfrom  grace,  and  the  security  or  assurance 
of  salvation.  This  dispute  having  raised  up  two  parties  in 
the  University,  Whitaker  takes  a  journey  to  London,  and 
goes  straight  to  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  [Whitgift,] 
giving  him  notice  that  the  University  was  corrupted  with  the 
Pelagian  doctrine ;  and  in  order  to  prevent  an  open  quarrel, 
proposes  to  the  Archbishop  nine  positions  which  he  had 
drawn  up,  begging  that  they  might  be  sent  immediately  to 
Cambridge,  fortified  with  the  approval  of  some  eminent  and 


Bishop  Tomline. 

5* 


54  ARTICLES,   LAMBETH. 

learned  men.  Now  the  positions  were  wrote  in  such  a  man- 
ner, that  one  may  easily  discern  the  skilfulness  of  the  man, 
in  that  nice  and  exquisite  turn  of  the  words,  which  for  peace' 
sake  would  not  be  disapproved  of  even  by  such  as  did  not  a 
little  dissent  from  him.  A  meeting  of  Prelates  and  Divines 
was  then  appointed,  (not  a  great  number,)  in  November, 
1595.  After  several  days  disputing,  it  so  happened  on  the 
last  day,  that  while  some  of  Whitaker's  opponents  were  ab- 
sent, the  others  carried  their  point.  The  Archbishop  was  at 
the  head  of  the  meeting,  and  did  not  at  all  approve  of  Whit- 
aker's articles;  yet,  through  easiness,  and  a  fear  of  disa- 
greement, since  he  could  not  make  good  his  own  opinion, 
himself  became  the  surety  and  patron  of  another's. 

These  positions,  (called  the  Lambeth  Articles,)  were  sent, 
with  some   alterations,  to  Cambridge,  and  Whitaker  fell  to 
boasting  of  the  victory  he  had  gained.     In  the  midst  of  this, 
he  meets  with  Burleigh,  one  of  the  Glueen's  privy  council,  and 
Chancellor  of  the  University,  to  whom  he  declares  what  had 
been  done,  and  shows  him  the  very  Articles.     But  Burleigh 
seeing  the  artifice,  and  the  mischief  likely  to  ensue,  extremely 
disapproved  of  tha   whole  matter,  and  in  a   grave  speech  be- 
fore the  Glueen,  took  occasion  to  remonstrate  against  the  ille- 
gality  of  the  proceedings,  the  whole  business  having  been 
done  without  the  authority  of  the  Glueen,  and  the  consent  of 
Parliament.     "  Here  are  a  few  divines,"  said  he,  "that  have 
dared   to  make  decrees  and  determinations   concerning   the 
most  important  questions,  which  learned  men  for  many  ages 
since,  could  never  yet  agree  about."     He  then  reminded  the 
Glueen  of  the  consequences  resulting  from  their  doctrine  of 
fate,  "  which,"  says  he,  "  if  it  be  true,  to  what  purpose  is  it, 
that  I  and  the  rest  of  your  majesty's  faithful  ministers  do  busy 
ourselves  about  anything,  or  take  any  measures  that  maybe 
of  use  to  you,  and  the  kingdom's  good  ;  whereas  all  consulta- 
tions about  such  things  as  necessarily  come  to  pass,  were  ab- 
solutely foolish  and  ridiculous."     On  this,  the  Glueen  com* 


ASH  55 

mands  the  Archbishop  to  be  sent  for,  and  after  pleasantly  re- 
minding him  that  by  the  step  he  had  taken  in  transcending 
his  authority,  a  prcemunire  was  his  due,  and  the  confiscation 
of  his  goods,  he  sought  to  excuse  the  matter  by  pleading  that 
no  contempt  was  intended,  but  "it  was  only  to  interpose,  for 
peace'  sake,  between  the  two  professors,  that  no  private  quar- 
rels might  break  out  into  public  mischief"  Whereupon, 
Whitgift  was  severely  handled  by  some  of  the  counsellors, 
who  told  him  that  the  assembly  was  illegal,  and  disrespectful 
to  the  Queen,  who  knew  nothing  of  it,  and  that  they  might 
have  consulted  the  peace  of  the  Church  better,  if  they  had 
kept  their  opinions  to  themselves.  Finally,  the  Archbishop 
was  required  to  beg  pardon  for  what  he  had  done  so  unad- 
visedly, to  withdraw^  the  Lambeth  Articles  from  Cambridge, 
and  not  to  suffer  them  to  be  published  or  spread  abroad. 

An  attempt  was  subsequently  made,  under  the  reign  of 
James  the  First,  by  Dr.  Reynolds  and  others,  to  revive  and 
establish  these  Articles;  but  the  king  refused  their  request, 
thinking  that  such  sort  of  definitions  did  not  tend  to  the  peace 
of  the  Church. 

It  need  only  be  added,  that  the  Articles  of  Lambeth  con- 
tain the  very  essence  of  the  most  rigid  Calvinism. 

AscENsioN-DAY,  or  HoLY  THURSDAY.  A  festival  of  the 
Church,  in  commemoration  of  the  Ascension  of  Christ.  It 
occurs  forty  days  after  Easter.  The  whole  week  of  the  As- 
cension was  sometimes  called  "  Expectation  week,"  because 
at  this  time  the  Apostles  continued  in  earnest  prayer  and  ex- 
pectatim  of  the  Comforter,  whom  our  Blessed  Lord  had 
promised  in  those  words :  "  If  I  go  away,  I  will  send  the 
Comforter  to  you." 

Ash-Wednesday.  Ash-Wednesday  is  the  first  day  of 
Lent.  It  has  its  name  from  the  ashes  in  which,  as  well  as 
in  sackcloth,  the  first  Christians  used  to  appear,  when  they 
were   penitent,   and   wished  to  be   again   admitted   into  the 


56  ASS 

Church,  after  they  had  been  shut  out  from  it  on  account  of 
their  sins. 

"  Lent  is  a  word  meaning  •  the  spring.'  The  season  of 
Lent  contains  forty  days,  from  Ash-Wednesday  to  Easter, 
exclusive  of  Sundays,  which  are  never  to  be  observed  as  fasts. 
The  Jews  fasted  forty  days  before  their  passover.  Our  Sa- 
viour fasted  forty  days  in  the  wilderness.  We  ought  to 
humble  ourselves  before  God,  to  repent  of  our  sins,  and  to 
prepare  for  duly  celebrating  the  festival  of  Easter,  during 
the  forty  days  of  Lent ;  when  we  should  deny  ourselves  seme 
innocent  indulgences,  of  which  we  are  fond,  that  we  may 
learn  self  denial  in  those  which  are  guilty." 

Aspersion.  Sprinkling,  in  the  rite  of  baptism.  See  Im- 
mersion. 

Assistant  Bishop.  One  who  is  consecrated  in  aid  of  a 
Bishop,  who  by  sickness,  or  other  infiimily,  is  disabled  from 
the  efficient  discharge  of  his  episcopal  functions.  Canon  VI. 
of  the  General  Convention,  makes  provision,  that  in  such  a 
case,  "one  Assistant  Bishop  may  be  elected  by  and  for  the 
said  Diocese,  who  shall  in  all  cases  succeed  the  Bishop,  in 
case  of  surviving  him."  The  duties  of  an  Assistant  Bishop 
are  such  "  as  the  Bishop  shall  assign  him,"  except  in  the 
event  of  entire  inability  in  the  Bishop,  in  which  case  the  As- 
sistant discharges  all  the  ojSices  belonging  to  the  Episcopate. 

Assistant  Minister.  A  Clergyman  elected  by  the  vestry 
of  a  parish,  to  relieve  the  Rector  from  a  portion  of  the  pastoral 
duty,  when,  through  "infirmity,  the  extent  of  the  parish,  or  any 
other  impediment,  such  aid  is  judged  expedient  and  neces- 
sary. An  Assistant  Minister  in  the  American  Church,  may 
be  regularly  instituted  into  his  office,  in  similar  manner  with 
the  Rector.     See  the  Form  for  Institution. 

Associated  Rector.  A  Clergyman  holding,  with  another, 
the  joint  pastoral  charge  and  jurisdiction  of  a  Church  or  par- 
ish.    See  the  Form  for  Institution. 
Assumption  of  the  Virgin  Mary.  A  festival  of  the  Romish 


AUD  57 

Church,  in  honor  of  the  Ascension  of  the  Virgin  Mary  into 
heaven,  which,  we  are  given  to  understand,  occurred  in  a 
miraculous  manner,  some  years  after  her  death.  "  On  this 
day,"  says  the  Romanist,  "  we  honor  her  happy  death.  *  * 
*  *  We  also  commemorate  her  glorious  assumption  into 
heaven,  where  she  is  elevated  above  angels  and  archangels, 
with  a  special  claim  to  our  homages,  and  ardently  desires  to 
promote  our  real  interests."* 

The  following  meditation  is  from  a  popular  devotional 
book  of  the  Romish  Church,  and  is  worth  noting,  as  contain. 
ing  more  assumptions  than  one : — "  Let  us  contemplate  in  this 
mystery,  how  the  glorious  Virgin,  twelve  years  after  the  re- 
surrection of  her  Son,  passed  out  of  this  \vorld  unto  him,  and 
was  hy  him  assumed  into  heaven,  accompanied  by  the  holy 

angels.."  t 

Athanasian  Creed.     See  Creed,  Athanasian. 

"  Audible  voice."  A  voice  loud  enough  to  be  distinctly 
heard  by  the  congregation.  In  various  places  of  the  Liturgy, 
the  rubrics  enjoin  that  the  Minister  shall  read  or  pronounce 
certain  portions  with  an  " audible  voice,"  or  "distinctly.'* 
In  the  English  Prayer-book  still  more  frequently,  he  is  re- 
quired  to  read  "with  a  loud  \oice,"  There  are  three  prin- 
cipal reasons  for  these  requirements : — 

1.  The  propriety  of  the  thing  itself.  It  is  the  desire  and 
intention  of  the  Church,  that  every  part  of  the  public  service 
should  be  so  performed  as  to  interest  and  benefit  the  people. 
But  this  primary  object  would,  in  a  great  measure,  be  de- 
feated, if  so  low  a  tone  of  voice  were  used  as  to  be  inaudible 
to  the  mass  of  the  congregation.  This  remark  applies  with 
peculiar  force  to  the  reading  of  the  Lessons  from  scripture, 
and  to  the  pronouncing  of  the  Ten  Commandments  ;  the  ru- 
bric to  which  latter  contains  this  direction — "  Then  shall  the 


'  Metropolitan  Catholic  Almanac  for  1838,  p.  44. 
t  Cluisliun's  Guide  to  Heaven,  p.  1G9. 


58 


AUDIBLE  VOICE. 


Minister,  turning  to  the  people,  rehearse  distinctly  ths  Ten 
Commandments." 

2.  These  requirements  were  intended  to  counteract  and 
prevent  the  introduction  into  our  services  of  a  practice  long 
prevalent  in  the  Church  of  Rome,  viz  :  that  of  performing 
the  offices  of  public  worship  in  a  low  or  subdued  tone,  neither 
heard  nor  understood  by  the  people.  "  These  men,"  says 
Jewell,  "lest  the  people  should  understand  them,  mumhle  up 
their  service,  not  only  with  a  drowned  and  hollow  voice,  but 
also  in  a  strange  and  barbarous  tongue,"*  alluding  both  to 
the  use  of  the  Latin  language,  and  the  unmeaning  manner  in 
which  even  that  was  uttered. 

3.  The  immense  size  of  Cathedrals  and  other  ancient 
Churches  in  England,  demanded  a  greater  strength  and  dis- 
tinctness of  voice  in  the  officia^ting  Clergyman,  than  would  be 
necessary  in  Churches  of  more  modern  dimensions.  This 
reason  is  evidently  of  a  local  character ;  and  being,  for  the 
most  part,  superseded  by  the  convenient  form  and  arrange- 
ments of  the  American  Churches,  many  of  the  English  ru- 
brics  have  accordingly  been  abridged  in  the  American  Prayer- 
book. 

The  principle  on  which  these  requirements  are  grounded, 
extends  not  only  to  the  Clergy,  but  also  to  the  laity,  who  are 
expected  to  deliver  their  responses  in  an  animated  and  audi- 
ble manner  ;  conforming  to  the  custom  of  the  purest  ages  of 
the  primitive  Church,  rather  than  to  the  confused  as  well  as 
unscriptural  practice  of  the  Church  of  Rome. 

In  the  order  of  Confirmation  there  is  a  special  rubric  de- 
serving of  notice.  The  Bishop  standing  by  the  altar,  asks  the 
candidates  whether  they  do,  in  the  presence  of  God,  renew 
the  solemn  promise  and  vow  made  at  their  baptism,  &.c.  To 
this  question,  the  Church  directs  that  "  every  one  shall  audi- 
hly  answer,  I  do  ;"  that  is,  they  shall  not  answer  by  making 

*  Jewell's   Apology,  p   157— New-York  edition. 


ATTG  59 

a  sign  or  gesture,  or  by  a  whisper,  but  in  a  tone  of  voice 
which  all  who  are  present  may  hear,  especially  the  Bisnop, 
that  he  may  be  satisfied  of  the  sincere  intentions  of  those 
who  come  to  him  to  be  confirmed,  and  of  their  readiness  to 
confess  the  faith  of  Christ  crucified. 

The  same  remark  will  apply  to  the  answers  required  to  be 
given  vocally  by  Sponsors  in  baptism,  and  also  in  the  Order 
of  Matrimony.  The  substitution,  at  such  times,  of  a  nod,  an 
incoherent  assent,  or  a  vacant  stare,  which  the  Minister 
is  expected  to  interpret  to  the  best  of  his  charity,  must  be 
felt  by  every  Churchman  to  be  not  only  highly  indecent  in 
itself,  but  disrespectful  to  the  Church,  painful  to  the  Clergy- 
man, and  altogether  incongruous  with  the  solemn  obligations 
then  assumed  by  the  parties. 

St.  Augustine,  or,  by  abbreviation,  St.  Austin.  One  of  the 
fathers  of  the  Church,  and  Bishop  of  Hippo,  in  Africa.  This 
celebrated  father  was  born  in  Tagestum,  A.  D.  354.  The 
early  part  of  his  life  was  spent  in  a  thoughtless  career  of 
folly  and  dissipation,  singularly  contrasting  with  the  eminent 
piety  and  distinguished  zeal  which  followed  his  conversion  to 
Christianity.  Before  this  event,  he  had  numbered  himself 
with  the  Manicheans.  The  change  in  his  religious  views 
has  been  attributed  to  his  investigation  of  St.  Paul's  Epistles, 
and  to  the  influence  of  the  preaching  of  St.  Ambrose,  Bishop 
of  Milan.  Having  been  admitted  to  the  priesthood  a  year  or 
two  after  his  conversion,  he  was  consecrated  Bishop  A.  D. 
393,  and  became  associated  with  Valerius,  Bishop  of  Hippo, 
in  the  joint  administration  of  that  Diocese.  "  His  talents, 
and  ardent  disposition,  rather  than  any  extraordinary  degree  of 
learning,  brought  him  forward  prominently  in  the  religious 
disputes  of  his  day."  Among  these,  was  the  controversy 
with  the  Pelagians,  into  which  Augustine  entered  with  a 
warmth  that  "  drove  him  into  the  contrary  extreme,  and  his 
ignorance  of  the  Greek  language  probably  helping  not  a  little, 
produced  that  system  which,  revived  and  set  in  its  strongest 


60  BAN 

light  by  Calvin,  has  derived  its  name  from  that  reformer." 
A  remark  of  St.  Augustine  from  his  26th  treatise  on  St. 
John,  is  quoted  in  the  29th  Article  of  Religion, 

Auricular  Confession.  In  the  Romish  Church,  the  con- 
fessing of  sins  in  the  ear  of  the  priest,  as  at  the  ordinary 
confessional,  &c.  This  practice  has  been  justly  reprobated  by 
the  Church,  as  unscriptural,  unnecessary,  and,  except  in  the 
case  of  disclosures  made  on  a  death-bed,  as  leading  to  inevit- 
able  abuse  and  dangerous  evils.  Instead  of  private  confessions 
between  the  penitent  and  his  spiritual  guide,  the  Church 
has  appointed  a  public  form  to  be  used  on  all  occasions  of  di- 
vine service. 

Ave  Maria.  A  form  of  devotion  used  in  the  Church  of 
Rome,  comprising  the  salutation  addressed  by  the  angel  Ga- 
briel to  the  Virgin  Mary.  Luke  i.  28.  The  words  "Ave 
Maria,"  are  the  first  two,  in  Latin,  of  the  form  as  it  appears 
in  the  manuals  of  the  Romish  Church,  thus  : — "  Hail,  Mary, 
(Ave,  Maria,)  full  of  grace,  the  Lord  is  with  thee,"  &c. 
To  which  is  appended  the  following  petition  : — ;"  Holy  Mary, 
mother  of  God,  pray  for  us  sinners,  now,  and  in  the  hour  of 
our  death.     Amen." 


B. 


"  Bands  of  those  sins."  This  expression  is  found  in  the 
Collect  for  the  24th  Sunday  after  Trinity.  The  condition  of 
a-^inner  is  sometimes  represented  in  scripture  as  similar  to 
that  of  a  person  tied  up,  enchained,  under  bonds,  or  deprived 
of  true  liberty,  as  in  the  phrases," "  bond  of  iniquity,"  Acts 
viii.  23  ;  the  "  captivity  ^^  of  sin,  Rom.  vii.  23  ;  "  holden  with 
the  cords  of  his  sins,"  Pro  v.  v.  22;  also  in  the  expressions 
"  binding  "  and  "  loosing,"  equivalent  to  the  retaining  or  for- 
giving of  sins. 


BAP  61 

In  agreement  with  this  figurative  language,  we  pray,  in  the 
above  Collect,  that  God  would  "  absolve  "  his  people  from  their 
offences,  and  deliver  us  ''from  the  bands  (or  bonds)  of  those 
sins  which  by  our  frailty  we  have  committed."  A  similar 
idea  runs  in  the  words,  "though  we  be  tied  and  bound  by  the 
chain  of  our  sins,"  &c.,  in  one  of  the  occasional  prayers  of 
the  English  Prayer-book. 

Bans  of  Matrimony.  In  various  Dioceses  of  the  Church, 
when  a  marriage  is  about  to  take  place,  it  is  made  the  duty 
of  the  minister  to  give  public  notice  of  it,  thereby  warning 
the  congregation  that  if  there  be  any  sufficient  reason  known 
why  the  persons  named  should  not  be  married,  information  of 
it  should  immediately  be  given.  This  is  called  "  publishing 
the  baiis^ 

The  words  appointed  to  be  used  are  found  at  the  beginning 
of  the  form  of  "  Solemnization  of  Matrimony,"  as  follows — 
"  I  publish  the  bans  of  Marriage  between  M.  of  .  .  .  and 
N.  of  ...  If  any  of  you  know  cause  or  just  impediment 
why  fchese  two  persons  should  not  be  joined  together  in  holy 
matrimony,  ye  are  to  declare  it," 

This  is  read  publicly  on  Sundays  or  Holy-days.  The 
number  of  times  depends  on  the  civil  laws  and  the  custom 
of  the  Church.  If  read  more  than  once,  it  is  usual  to  add, 
"  This  is  the  first  (or  second,  or  third,)  time  of  asking." 

Baptism.  The  Sacrament  of  Baptism  was  instituted  by 
our  Blessed  Lord,  as  the  ordinance  by  which  persons  might 
be  admitted  to  membership  in  his  Church,  and  to  those  bless- 
ings and  privileges  which  are  by  Him  annexed  to  such  mem- 
bership. 

Initiation  into  any  important  society  or  confederacy,  has 
o-enerally  been  accompanied  by  some  significant  rite.  In  the 
Jewish  Church,  circumcision  was  theappointed  means  through 
which  m'embership  was  acquired.  Into  the  Christian  Church 
admission  is  obtained  by  the  baptism  of  the  candidate.  So 
far  as  relates  to  the  mere  ceremony,  baptism,  in  some  of  its 

6 


652  BAPTISM* 

forms,  may  claim  nearly  as  high  antiquity  as  circumcision  ; 
for  Scripture  gives  us  several  intimations  of  the  existence  of 
religions  purifications  by  water,  at  periods  very  little  later 
than  the  date  of  the  covenant  with  Abraham.  The  element 
of  water  has,  indeed,  in  all  ages,  and  in  all  countries,  been 
consecrated  to  what  have  been  esteemed  holy  uses.  As  a 
symbol  of  purity,  a  remover  of  guilt,  a  strengthener  of  vir^ 
tue,  and  a  divine  safeguard,  it  has  stood  in  high  reputation 
among  all  nations.  And,  among  Christians,  it  is  neither 
superstition  nor  folly  to  regard  the  element  of  baptism  as 
singularly  appropriate  in  its  nature,  and  highly  emblematical 
in  its  use,  of  that  spiritual  purifying  of  the  soul,  brought  about 
by  the  operation  of  God's  Holy  Spirit. 

To  the  question,  What  are  the  qualijicailons  demanded 
in  those  who  apply  for  baptism  1  the  Church  replies  in  her 
Catechism,  "  Repentance,  whereby  they  forsake  sin  ;  and 
Faith,  whereby  they  steadfastly  believe  the  promises  of  God 
made  to  them  in  that  Sacrament."  If  it  be  objected  that  the 
baptismal  forms  of  the  Church  seem  too  rigorous,  and  re- 
quire from  candidates  more  than  can  reasonably  be  justified, 
it  may  be  replied,  that  in  a  transaction  of  so  serious  a  nature, 
none  can  be  injured  by  a  careful  scrutiny  of  heart.  And  yet 
the  Church  very  closely  abides  by  the  Scripture  test ;  for  the 
sum  of  what  she  requires  from  the  applicant,  is  but  sincere 
penitence,  and  an  open  and  firm  confession  of  faith  in  Christ. 
She  wisely  addresses  him  as  desirous,  before  sealing  his  vows, 
to  lay  before  him  the  solemn  demands  of  the  Gospel.  As  if 
anxiously  fearful  of  error,  she  rapidly  sketches,  (in  her  bap. 
tismal  offices,  the  compass  of  his  duty,  to  keep  predominant 
in  his  mind  the  memorable  saying,  "  If  ye  love  me,  ye  will 
keep  m.y  commandments."  But  the  whole  amount  is,  in 
effect,  simply  the  demand  of  Philip  from  the  Ethiopian,  "  if 
thou  believest  with  all  thy  heart,  thou  mayest"  be  baptized. 
And  the  expectation  of  the  Church  is,  in  its  spirit,  satisfied 
with  the  eunuch's  reply,  "  I  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the 
Son  of  God," 


BAPTISM.  63 

The  two  questions  which  will  here  naturally  arise,  respect- 
ing the  eligibility  of  infants  for  baptism,  and  the  authority  of 
the  modes  in  which  this  !^acrament  is  administered,  we  shall 
consider  at  length  under  the  heads,  Infant  Baptism,  and  Im. 
MERSioN,  to  which  the  reader  is  referred. 

The  benefits  or  results  of  baptism  may  be  thus  stated  : 

1.  An  admission  into  the  visible  Church  of  Christ.  By 
this  is  meant  that  persons  in  baptism  become  members  of 
that  divinely  instituted  society — members  of  the  Church 
militant,  hereafter  to  be  translated,  if  faithful,  to  the  Church 
triumphant.  A  moral  change  may  or  may  not  accompany  this 
introduction  to  membership  in  the  Church  ;  this,  of  course, 
will  depend  on  personal  character.  The  Church  does  not 
hold  the  offensive  opinion,  sometimes  imputed  to  her,  that 
baptism  necessarily  produces  such  a  moral  change  as  the 
Scriptures  call  "conversion."  On  the  other  hand,  as  there 
were  good  and  bad  fish  in  the  net,  grain  and  chaff  on  the 
threshing  floor,  tares  and  wheat  in  the  field,  so  will  there 
always  be  a  corresponding  diversity  in  the  Church  on  earth. 
Simon  Magus,  and  St.  Paul,  both  received  baptism,  and  con- 
sequently became  members  of  Christ's  Church ;  but  the  one 
afterwards  perished  in  his  iniquity,  while  the  other  attained 
the  crown  of  immortal  life. 

2.  Baptism  admits  the  recipient  into  a  special  covenant 
with  God — a  covenant  which  "  he,  for  his  part,  will  most 
surely  keep  and  perform."  But  neither  does  this,  by  neces- 
sity, imply  an  entire  moral  change  in  the  baptized  ;  for  a  co- 
venant may  be  entered  into  by  a  person  who  is  wholly  unfit 
to  fulfil  the  obligations  he  has  assumed.  The  loicked  may 
thus  take  God's  sacred  covenant  upon  them,  and  by  failure 
of  duty,  lose  all  those  blessings  which  are  promised  to  the 
obedient. 

3.  There  is  in  this  Sacrament  a  great  and  undoubted 
/noraZ  e/ec<  produced  in  all  those  who  receive  it  "rightly.' 
The  Catechism  of  the  Church  describes  this  as  "  a  death  unto 


64        '  BAPTISM. 

sin,  and  a  new  birth  unto  righteousness  :  For  being  by  nature 
born  in  sin,  and  the  children  of  wrath,  we  are  hereby  made 
the  children  of  grace."  All  this  is  predicated  on  the  exist- 
ence of  repentance  and  faith,  in  the  recipient.  And  as  these 
have  been  most  solemnly  avowed  by  the  candidate,  the  Church 
is  authorized  in  the  language  she  uses ;  having  no  right,  ex  - 
cept  in  the  most  flagrant  cases  of  hypocrisy,  to  question  the 
veracity  and  honesty  of  those  who  appear  at  her  fonts.  But 
without  these  dispositions  of  mind,  (understanding  them  as 
evidences  of  the  working  of  God's  grace,)  the  above  con- 
sequences,  so  far  as  they  imply  a  moral  effect,  cannot  accom- 
pany  baptism.  The  dignified  views,  however,  which  are 
maintained  by  the  Church  respecting  baptism,  as  given 
above,  are  fully  borne  out  by  the  express  words  of  Scripture, 
which  annex  to  baptism,  rightly  received,  the  pardon  of  sin. 
Thus  Peter  exhorted  the  penitent  multitude  to  be  baptized  in 
the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  "  for  the  remission  of  sins.  ^^  And 
St.  Paul,  after  his  conversion,  was  thus  addressed  by  Ananias, 
"  Arise,  and  be  baptized,  and  wash  away  thy  sins.^"*  Other 
passages  are  not  wanting  of  the  same  import,  but  always  in 
connection  with  the  existence  of  right  dispositions  of  heart. 
To  this  it  is  almost  needless  to  add,  that  the  full  pardon  of 
sin  implies,  or  is  accompanied  with,  a  restoration  to  the  favor 
of  God — the  grant  of  his  Holy  Spirit,  and  the  promise  of  final 
reward  as  the  consummation  of  obedience.  See  also  Txfant 
Baptism. 

4.  Baptism  is  a  mean  and  pledge  of  grace.  So  far  as  the 
former  is  concerned,  it  is  undeniable  that  by  this  sacrament 
"  we  are  made  the  children  of  grace,""^  and  become  entitled  to 
the  privileges  annexed  to  such  a  state.  Consequently,  bap. 
tism,  the  medium  of  communication,  is  eminently  a  mean  of 
grace.  It  is  also  a  pledge  of  grace,  because  its  divine  Insti. 
tutor  has  endowed  it  with  assurances  and  promises,  of  the 
certain  fulfilment  of  which  it  would  be  impiety  to  doubt. 

The  Church  has  provided  three  Baptismal  offices,  agreeing 


BAR  65 

in  doctrine,  and  in  all  essential  features.  The  first  is  for  the 
public  baptism  of  infants ;  the  second  for  the  same,  in  pri- 
vate  ;  and  the  third  for  persons  of  riper  years. 

For  further  information  respecting  the  language  and  pecu- 
liarities of  our  baptismal  services.  See  the  articles.  Certify- 
iNG,  Cross,  Hypothetical,  Member,  Regeneration,  and 
Sponsors. 

Baptismal  font.     See  Font. 

Baptistery.  In  the  ancient  Church,  a  building  containing 
the  font,  dec,  for  the  administration  of  baptism.     See  Font. 

St.  Barnabas'  day.  This  Apostle  was  born  in  the  island 
of  Cyprus,  and  was  descended  from  parents  of  the  house  of 
Levi.  He  became  a  student  of  the  Jewish  law,  under  Ga- 
maliel, who  was  also  the  instructor  of  Paul.  Barnabas  was 
one  of  those  "  who  freely  gave  up  his  worldly  goods  into 
the  common  stock,  which  was  voluntarily  formed  by  the 
earliest  converts  to  Christianity.  After  the  conversion  of 
St.  Paul,  St.  Barnabas  had  the  distinguished  honor  of  intro- 
ducing him  into  the  society  of  the  Apostles  ;  and  was  after- 
wards  his  fellow-laborer  in  many  places,  especially  at  An- 
tioch,  where  the  name  of  Christian  was  first  assumed  by 
the  followers  of  Jesus.  There  are  no  accounts  of  St.  Bar. 
nabas  after  he  left  St.  Paul  ;  nor  any  of  his  writings  pre- 
served, except  an  epistle,  never  received  into  the  canon  af 
Scripture." 

St.  Bartholomew's  day.  The  day  appointed  for  the  com- 
memoration  of  this  Apostle.  In  the  catalogue  of  the  Apostles, 
which  is  given  by  the  first  three  of  the  Evangelists,  Bar- 
tholomew makes  one  of  the  number. 

"St.  John,  however,  not  mentioning  him,  and  recording 
several  things  of  another  disciple,  whom  he  calls  Nathanael, 
and  who  is  not  named  by  the  other  Evangelists,  has  occa- 
sioned  many  to  be  of  the  opinion,  that  Bartholomew  and 
Nathanael  were  the  same  person." 

St.  Bartholomew  is  said  to  have  preached  the  gospel  in 
6* 


66  BEN 

the  greater  Armenia,  and  to  have  converted  the  Lycaonians 
to  Christianity.  It  is  also  certain  that  he  carried  the  gospel 
into  India  ;  and  as  there  is  no  record  of  his  return,  it  is  not 
improbable  that  he  suffered  martyrdom  in  that  country. 

St.  Bart's  day.  An  abbreviation  of  St.  Bartholomew's 
DAY,  which  See. 

Benedic  anima  mea.  The  first  words,  in  Latin,  of  a  hymn 
appointed  to  be  said  or  sung  after  the  second  Lesson  in  the 
evening  service.  For  the  sake  of  variety,  the  Church  has 
appointed  two  hymns  after  each  Lesson,  one  of  which  is 
always  chanted,  or  read  alternately  by  the  minister  and 
people. 

The  hymn  before  us,  and  its  substitute,  the  "  Deus  miserea- 
iUTy'^  are  taken  from  the  Book  of  Psalms  ;  and,  as  we  have 
immediately  before  been  attending  to  the  reading  of  God's 
holy  word,  we  are  now  required  to  stand  up,  and  join  in  these 
songs  of  praise,  to  testify  our  thankfulness  to  God,  for  his 
blessed  gospel,  and  for  having  instructed  us  in  the  way  to 
final  happiness. 

Benedicite,  or  Song  of  the  three  Children.  The  title  of  one 
of  the  hymns  after  the  first  Lesson  in  the  Morning  service. 
It  may  be  used  instead  of  the  Te  Deum,  which  stands  imme- 
diately before  it. 

This  hymn  is  taken  from  the  Apocrypha,  and  is  therefore 
not  read  as  a  portion  of  holy  scripture,  but  as  a  venerable  and 
pious  composition,  accordant  with  the  sentiments  of  inspired 
writ,  and  the  feelings  of  every  devotional  mind.  It  is  called 
the  iSoTi^  of  the  Three  Children,  because  it  was  supposed  to 
have  been  sung  by  the  three  young  Hebrews  who  were  cast 
into  the  fiery  furnace  by  order  of  Nebuchadnezzar.* 

In  the  first  Prayer-book  of  Edward  VI.  the  Benedicite  was 
appointed  to  be  used  during  the  season  of  Lent,  and  the  Te 


*  Daniel,  iii. 


BEN  67 

Dcum  through  the  remainder  of  the  year.  This  restriction 
does  not  now  exist,  the  two  hymns  being  interchangeable. 

In  the  Enghsh  Prayer-book  the  last  verse  of  the  Benedi- 
cite  appears  thus : — "  O  Ananias,  Azarias,  and  Misael,  bless 
ye  the  Lord  :  praise  him  and  magnify  him  for  ever."  This 
has  been  omitted  in  the  American  editions,  probably  on  the 
ground  of  its  containing  an  invocation  or  appeal  to  departed 
spirits. 

Benediction.  A  solemn  act  of  blessing  performed  by  the 
Bishops  and  Priests  of  the  Church.  In  the  Jewish  Church, 
the  priests,  by  the  command  of  God,  were  to  bless  the  people, 
by  saying,  "  The  Lord  bless  thee,  and  keep  thee.  The  Lord 
make  his  face  shine  upon  thee,  and  be  gracious  unto  thee. 
The  Lord  lift  up  his  countenance  upon  thee,  and  give  thee 
peace." * 

In  the  Episcopal  Church,  several  forms  of  blessing  are 
used,  agreeing  with  the  particular  office  of  which  they  form  a 
part.  The  ordinary  benediction  at  the  close  of  divine  ser- 
vice, is  quoted  from  the  end  of  the  Communion  Office,  in 
these  words  : — ^"  The  peace  of  God,  which  passeth  all  under- 
standing, keep  your  hearts  and  minds  in  the  knowledge  and 
love  of  God,  and  of  his  Son  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord  :  and  the 
blessing  of  God  Almighty,  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy 
Ghost,  be  amongst  you,  and  remain  with  you  always."  The 
former  part  of  this  is  taken  from  Philippians  iv.  7,  and  the 
latter  may  be  considered  as  "  a  Christian  paraphrase  upon 
Num.  vi.  24,"  &:c. 

Other  forms  of  blessing,  or  modifications  of  the  above, 
may  be  found  in  the  Offices  for  Confirmation,  Matrimony,  the 
Visitation  of  the  Sick,  Visitation  of  Prisoners,  and  the  Office 
of  Institution. 

Benedictus.     The  Latin  for  "  Blessed,"  which  is  the  first 


*  Numbers  vi.  24.  25,  26. 


68  BID 

word  in  one  of  the  hymns  to  be  ^aid  or  sung  after  the  second 
Lesson  in  the  Morning  Service  of  the  Church. 

The  Benedictus  is  taken  from  Luke  i.  from  the  68th  to  the 
72d  verse,  being  part  of  the  song  of  Zacliarias  the  priest, 
concerning  his  son  John  the  Baptist,  who  was  to  be  the  fore- 
runner  of  Christ,  but  was  then  only  in  his  infancy.  The  hymn 
also  relates  in  part  to  our  Blessed  Lord  himself,  for  Zacharias 
blessed  God  that  he  had  "  raised  up  an  horn  of  salvation  for 
us,  in  the  house  of  his  servant  David."  This  evidently  refers 
to  Jesus  Christ,  who,  in  his  human  nature,  descended  from 
the  family  or  house  of  David. 

Benefice.  In  England,  an  ecclesiastical  living,  church, 
or  pastoral  charge. 

Bidding  of  Prayer.  The  ancient  custom  of  announcing 
to  the  people  the  subjects  for  which  their  prayers  were  re- 
quired. This  generally  took  place  immediately  before  the 
sermon.  The  preacher  having  already  taken  his  station,  and 
named  his  text,  (as  Bishop  Burnett  tells  us,)  proceeded  to  call 
the  people  to  their  devotions,  bidding  them  to  pray  for  the 
King,  the  Pope,  the  Bishop,  &c.,  &;c.  "  After  which,  all  the 
people  said  their  beads  in  a  general  silence,  and  the  minister 
kneeled  down  likewise,  and  said  his  :  they  were  to  say  a 
Pater  noster,  Ave  Maria,  &c.,  and  then  the  sermon  pro- 
ceeded." 

The  distinction  between  actual  praying,  and  the  mere  bid- 
ding of  prayer,  is  a  plain  one.  For  example  :  In  our  Com- 
munion Office,  the  minister  is  directed  to  say,  "  Let  us  pray 
for  the  whole  state  of  Chrisfs  Church  militant J^  This  is,  in 
fact,  lidding  the  congregation  to  pray  for  that  object ;  the 
prayer  itself  follows  after,  according  to  the  form  prescribed. 
Again  :  in  the  Ordering  of  Priests,  the  Bishop  having  prayed 
for  "strength  and  power"  to  be  given  to  the  candidates,  to 
perform  the  obligations  about  to  be  assumed  by  them,  desires 
the  congregation  {bids  them)  "  secretly  in  their  prayers,  to 
make  their  humble  supplications  to  God /or  all  these  things.^^ 


BIS  69 

The  same  thing  occurs  in  the  consecration  of  Bishops,  and  in 
the  Baptisnnal  Offices,  and  whenever  the  Minister  announces 
the  request  of  prayers  for  persons  afflicted,  &c.,  &c. 

BiRTH-DAYS.  In  the  ancient  Church,  this  term,  in  its  ap- 
plication  to  martyrs,  and  the  festivals  in  honor  of  them,  ex- 
pressed the  day  on  which  they  suffered  death,  or  were  born 
pinto  the  glory  and  happiness  of  the  kingdom  above.  In  this 
sense  it  stood  distinct  from  the  time  of  their  natural  birth  into 
the  world,  which  was  considered  as  an  event  so  inferior,  that 
its  ordinaiy  designation  was  merged  in  that  of  a  translation 
to  the  joys  of  a  better  world.  "  When  ye  hear  of  a  hirtli-day 
of  saints,  brethren,"  says  Peter  Chrysologus,  "  do  not  think 
that  that  is  spoken  of,  in  which  they  are  born  on  earth,  of  the 
flesh,  but  (that  in  which  they  are  born)  from  earth  into  heaven, 
from  labor  to  rest,  from  temptations  to  repose,  from  torments 
to  delights,  not  fluctuating,  but  strong,  and  stable,  and  eternal, 
from  the  derision  of  the  world  to  a  crown  and  glory.  Such 
are  the  birth-days  of  the  martyrs  that  we  celebrate." 

Bishop.  From  the  Saxon,  hiscojj.  The  designation  of 
those  who  occupy  the  highest  grade  of  the  Christian  Ministry. 
As  we  have  already  treated  of  the  origin  and  nature  of  this 
order  under  the  head  of  Apostle,  (to  which  the  reader  is  re- 
ferred,) it  is  unnecessary  to  go  again  over  the  same  ground, 
except  by  way  of  recapitulation. 

The  office  to  which  the  name  of  Bishop  has  for  many  cen- 
turies been  appropriated,  is  identical  with  that,  which  in  the 
New  Testament  bears  the  style  of  Apostle.  It  is  clear  that 
the  Apostles  were  to  have  successors,  and  that  some  of  those 
successors  were  to  possess  and  to  exercise  those  ecclesiastical 
endowments  which  were  held  by  their  ordainers.  We  say 
ecclesiastical  endowments,  as  distinguished  from  miraculous 
powers;  for  these  latter  were  not  distinctive  of  the  ministry, 
being  often  conferred  on  the  laity,  while  the  former  embrace 
every  essential  feature  of  the  clerical  office.  To  these  suc- 
cessors, then,  the  Apostles  or  first  Bishops  committed  either 


70  BISHOP. 

the  whole  or  a  part  of  their  official  powers,  as  the  case  might 
he.  And  it  is  in  reference  to  this  fact,  that  not  only  Bishops 
but  presbyters  and  deacons  are  said  to  be  successors  of  the 
Apostles,  the  two  inferior  orders  inheriting  a  portion  of  that 
spiritual  authority,  which  is  enjoyed  in  full  only  by  the 
Bishop.  More  appropriately,  however,  the  term  successor 
belongs  only  to  the  Bishop,  inasmuch  as  he  alone  possesses 
the  entire  powers  of  the  ministry,  as  committed  originally 
to  the  Apostles,  and  in  this  sense  we  shall  here  use  the 
word. 

If  then,  Bishops  are  the  true  successors  of  the  Apostles, 
the  question  may  very  naturally  be  asked,  Why  are  they 
distinguished  by  their  present  title?  or,  if  they  enjoy  the 
ministerial  authority  of  the  Apostles,  why  not  their  name 
also  ?  To  this  we  reply,  that  the  New  Testament  is  evi- 
dence that  at  first,  the  name  and  the  office  were  linked 
together,  as  appears  in  the  case  of  several  who  received 
the  full  episcopal  authority  from  the  primitive  Apostles. 
And  there  is  some  evidence  that  this  continued  for  a  time  to 
be  the  custom  of  the  Church,  but  was  finally  changed,  out  of 
respect  to  those  who  had  received  their  commission  directly 
from  the  Head  of  the  Church.  This  we  learn  from  Theodo- 
ret,  who  says,  that  "  those  who  are  now  called  Bishops,  were 
[anciently]  called  Apostles.  But,  shortly  after,  the  name  of 
Apostles  was  appropriated  to  such  only  as  were  Apostles  in- 
deed ;  and  then  the  name  Bishop  was  given  to  those  who 
before  were  called  Apostles."  And  the  author,  under  the 
name  of  Ambrose,  declares  that  "  they  who  are  now  called 
Bishops  were  originally  called  Apostles  ;  but  the  holy  Apos- 
tles being  dead,  they  who  were  ordained  after  them  to  govern 
the  Churches,  could  not  arrive  to  the  excellency  of  those  first ; 
nor  had  they  the  testimony  of  miracles,  but  were  in  many 
other  respects  inferior  to  them.  Therefore  they  thought  it 
not  decent  to  assume  to  themselves  the  name   of  Apostles ; 


BISHOP.  71 

but  dividing  the  names,  they  left  to  presbyters  the  name  of 
the  presbytery,  and  they  themselves  were  called  Bishops."  * 

From  this  it  is  evident  that  the  change  of  name  was  not 
the  change  of  office.  But  as  the  opponents  of  Episcopacy 
have  frequently  availed  themselves  of  a  supposed  argument 
arising  from  the  fact  that  in  the  New  Testament,  Bishops  were 
not  superior  to  presbyters  or  elders,  (overlooking  altogether 
the  superior  grade  of  Apostles,  which  was  the  true  original  of 
our  Bishops,)  it  may  not  be  useless  to  state  that,  in  the  New 
Testament,  the  names  of  the  three  orders  of  the  Ministry 
stand  thus,  viz  : 

1st  Order,  Apostle. 

2d  Order,  Bishop,  Presbyter,  or  Elder. 

3d  Order,  Deacon. 
Here  it  will  be  seen  that  the  name  of  Bishop  belonged  to 
those  who  filled  not  ihefrst  but  the  second  rank  of  the  min- 
istry. But,  for  the  reasons  above  stated,  the  Church,  while 
she  still  retained  the  three  distinct  orders  unchanged,  at  a 
very  early  period  made  a  slight  alteration  in  the  titles,  by  the 
disuse  of  the  term  Apostle,  and  the  substitution  for  it  of  that 
of  Bishop,  which,  after  this,  continued  no  longer  to  be  the 
designation  of  the  second  rank  of  the  Ministry.  Under  this 
modification,  which  still  exists,  the  names  stand  thus,  viz  : 

1st  Order,  Bishop,  (formerly  Apostle.) 

2d  Order,  Presbyter  or  Elder. 

3d  Order,  Deacon. 
From  this  simple  explanation  may  be  seen  the  futility  and 
the  unfairness  of  any  argument  against  Episcopacy,  derived 
from  the  fact  that  New  Testament  Bishops  and  Presbyters 
were  of  the  same  order.  A  candid  mind  will  at  once  decide, 
that  if  the  Scriptural  use  of  the  titles  be  adopted  at  all,  it 
should  be  adopted  in  full ;  and  then,  while  presbyters  would 


♦  Quoted  by  Bingham,  I.  p.  51. 


72  BISHOP. 

take  the  name  also  of  Bishops,  Bishops  would  be  equally  en- 
titled to  that  of  Apostles. 

Still,  fest  it  might  be  thought  that  the  adoption  of  a  lower 
name  indicated  a  withdrawal  of  some  portion  of  the  dignity 
or  prerogatives  of  the  office,  it  will  not  be  out  of  place  to 
remark  that,  in  the  primitive  Church,  the  Bishops  were  sur- 
rounded  with  an  array  of  additional  titles,  which  leave  no 
room  for  such  a  supposition.     Among  these  were 

Principes  Ecclesise,         Princes  of  the  Church, 

Principes  Sacerdotum,    Princes  of  the  Clergy-. 

Summi  Sacerdotes,  High  Priests. 

Pontifices  Maximi,  Chief  Priests. 

Prsepositi,  Presidents  of  the  Church. 

Patres  Patrum,  Fathers  of  fathers. 

Patriarchs. 

Angels  of  the  Churches. 
These  titles,  and  many  others  equally  strong,  which  were 
given  07ily  to  the  Bishops,  imply  a  full  recognition  of  the  high 
powers  of  the  Apostolate,  as  existing  in  these  direct  suc- 
cessors of  the  original  Prelates  or  Apostles  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament. The  introduction  and  use  of  such  exalted  titles  can 
be  accounted  for  in  no  other  way,  unless  we  suppose  that  be- 
fore the  Apostles  were  cold  in  their  graves,  the  whole  Chris- 
tian world  had  become  afflicted  with  lunacy. 

Another  proof  of  the  eminent  and  apostolic  rank  of  Bish- 
ops,  arises  from  the  fact  that  early  writers  have  been  careful 
to  record  the  ecclesiastical  genealogy  or  succession  of  these 
men,  in  several  of  the  principal  Churches.  Thus  we  have 
catalogues  of  the  Bishops  of  Rome,  Jerusalem,  Antioch,  (fee, 
though  it  does  not  appear  that  the  presbyters  and  deacons  of 
those  Churches  were  honored  with  any  similar  notice. 

The  primitive  Bishops,  like  the  Apostles,  were  on  a  perfect 
equality  in  respect  to  their  spiritual  powers.  Distinctions,  it 
is  true,  took  place  at  an  early  period,  grounded  on  the  relative 
importance  and  civil  rank  of  the  various  cities  and  dioceses 


BISHOP.  73 

in  which  they  presided,  and  also  from  other  considerations  of 
expediency  and  convenience  in  the  administration  of  disci- 
pline, &c.,  in  the  larger  divisions  of  the  Church.  Hence  the 
titles  and  offices  of  Patriarchs,  Primates,  Metropolitans,  Arch- 
bishops, Chorepiscopi,  and  SiifFragans,  in  all  which  there  was 
but  one  and  the  self-same  order  of  the  Ministry,  though  mani- 
festing itself  in  so  many  '•  differences  of  administration  "  and 
"diversities  of  operation."  To  substantiate  this,  it  is  only 
necessary  to  recur  to  the  distinctive  functions  of  the  Episco- 
pate, which  were  those  of  ordination,  confirmation  and  juria- 
diction.  As  it  respects  the  first  two,  there  was  not  the 
slightest  difference  between  the  validity  and  true  efficacy  of 
the  acts  of  a  Patriarch,  and  those  of  the  humblest  Bishop  in 
his  province.  Neither  was  the  proper  spiritual  jurisdiction  of 
a  diocese  diminished,  by  the  responsibility  of  its  Bishop  to  one 
whom  the  Church  had  placed  in  the  Metropolitan  chair.  The 
spiritual  powers  of  a  Bishop  can  never  be  changed  without 
the  consent  of  the  Head  of  the  Church  ;  but,  while  these  are 
preserved  in  their  full  integrity,  the  Church  itself  may,  if  need 
be,  establish  modes  and  appoint  peculiar  officers  for  the  more 
efficient  administration  of  her  discipline  ;  and  such  arrange- 
ments being  grounded  solely  on  human  enactment,  may  be 
continued  or  suspended  by  the  same  authority  which  origin- 
ated them,  just  as  the  position  and  welfare  of  the  Church  may 
render  them  expedient  or  superfluous. 

In  the  American  Church,  the  Bishops  are  all  of  equal  au- 
thority, each  ruling  his  own  diocese,  independent  of  the  con- 
trol of  an  ecclesiastical  superior.  To  one  common  Liturgy, 
Constitution,  and  body  of  General  Canons,  all  are  bound  to 
conform  according  to  primitive  practice ;  but  no  Bishop  is 
amenable  to  any  central  authority,  other  than  that  of  the 
Church  itself,  or  a  body  of  his  peers. 

The  peculiar  duties  assigned  to  the  "  Senior  Bishop,"  or 
the  oldest  in  the  order  of  consecration,  do  not  form  an  ex- 
ception to  this  rule,  his  jurisdiction  extending  no  further  than 

7 


74  BISHOP. 

his  own  diocese,  and  no  Bishop  being  accountable  to  him  as 
0  a  superior  or  general  overseer.  See  Senior  Bishop.  Our 
Jhurch  has,  therefore,  no  office  precisely  corresponding  with 
that  of  an  Archbishop  ;  neither,  on  the  other  hand,  has  the 
system  of  Suffragan  Bishops  been  allowed  by  the  Canons. 
Midway  between  these,  all  our  Bishops  stand  on  the  indepen- 
dent and  firm  ground  of  apostolic  precedent  and  usage,  each 
invested  with  the  plenary  power  of  jurisdiction  within  his  own 
diocese,  and  not  subject  (except  in  the  case  of  assistants)  to  the 
direct  supervision  of  others,  nor  authorized  to  assume  such  a 
supervision  over  them. 

The  only  peculiarities  exhibited  by  the  Episcopacy  of  this 
Church,  are  those  of  Assistants  and  Missionary  Bishops.  Of 
the  former  we  have  already  spoken  under  the  appropriate 
head,  and  refer  the  reader  further  to  the  article  Suffragan, 
where  a  distinction  of  some  importance  will  be  pointed  out. 

Missionary  Bishops  are  those  who  are  sent  to  exercise 
Episcopal  functions  in  states  and  territories  not  organized  as 
dioceses.  Before  the  General  Convention  of  1835,  our 
Missions  had  invariably  been  committed  to  the  care  of  pres- 
byters and  deacons,  and  consequently,  in  remote  districts,  the 
ministerial  order  of  the  Church  was  always  presented  in  the 
imperfect  shape  of  a  body  deprived  of  its  head.  Besides 
this,  there  were  other  difficulties  flowing  from  the  want  of  the 
proper  officer  to  administer  confirmation,  &c., — to  watch 
over  and  encourage  the  resident  clerg}',  and  to  go  forth  like 
the  Apostles  of  old,  and  with  their  authority,  to  lay  strong  and 
deep  the  first  foundations  of  the  Christian  Church.  To  meet 
this  exigency,  the  2d  Canon  of  1835  was  passed,  which  pro- 
vides that  Bishops  may  be  consecrated  for  this  service,  on 
nomination  by  the  House  of  Bishops,  and  election  by  the 
House  of  Clerical  and  Lay  Deputies  ;  such  Bishops  to  "  ex- 
ercise  episcopal  functions  in  such  states  and  territories  as  the 
House  of  Bishops  may  prescribe."  By  the  same  Canon  it  is 
ordered  that  "  each  Missionary  Bishop  shall  have  jurisdiction 


BISHOP. 


75 


over  the  Clergy  in  the  district  assigned  him."  Missionary 
Bishops  may  also  be  consecrated  for  foreign  parts  under  cer- 
tain regulations  prescribed  in  the  Canon  ;  and  all  Missionary 
Bishops  are  entitled  to  a  seat  in  the  House  of  Bishops, — are 
eligible  for  election  to  any  vacant  diocese  in  this  Church,  and 
are  required  to  report  their  proceedings  to  each  General 
Convention,  and  also  annually,  at  least,  to  the  Board  of 
Missions. 

The  mode  of  proceeding  in  the  election  of  a  Diocesan 
Bishop,  in  all  cases  where  there  is  a  sufficient  number  of  offi- 
ciating  presbyters  to  entitle  the  Diocese  to  a  Bishop,  is  regu- 
lated and  determined  by  the  Canons  of  the  Diocese  electing 
him.  But  in  a  Diocese  where  there  is  not  the  canonical  num- 
ber of  presbyters,  a  Bishop  may  be  obtained  by  a  vote  of  its 
Convention,  requesting  "  the  General  Convention  to  elect  a 
Bishop  for  the  same."  In  which  case,  the  House  of  Bishops 
nominate  a  person  for  the  office,  and  on  the  concurrence  of 
the  House  of  Clerical  and  Lay  Deputies,  he  may  be  con- 
secrated. 

The  3d  Section  of  Canon  I.  of  1835,  ordains  that  "  To 
entitle  a  Diocese  to  the  choice  of  a  Bishop,  by  the  Conven- 
tion thereof,  there  must  be,  at  the  time  of  such  choice,  and 
have  been  during  the  year  previous,  at  least  six  officiating 
presbyters  therein  regularly  settled,  in  a  parish  or  church,  and 
qualified  to  vote  for  a  Bishop  ;  and  six  or  more  parishes  re- 
presented in  the  Convention  electing." 

Translations,  or  direct  removals  of  Bishops  from  the  charge 
of  one  Diocese  to  that  of  another,  have  not  been  sanctioned 
by  the  Canons  of  the  American  Church.     See  Transla- 

TION. 

The  resignation  of  a  Diocese  by  its  Bishop,  is  allowed  in 
this  Church,  but  only  under  the  restrictions  imposed  by  the 
32d  Canon  of  the  General  Convention. 

Respecting  Episcopal  Visitations,  See  Visitation  Epis- 
copal. 


76  BOT 

Bishopric.  A  Diocese,  or  that  portion  of  the  Church  over 
which  a  Bishop's  power  of  jurisdiction  extends. 

Also,  the  office  or  prerogatives  of  a  Bishop,  equivalent  to 
the  Episcopate.  This  seems  to  be  the  sense  in  Acts  i.  20  : — 
"  his  Bishopric,  [that  of  Judas,]  let  another  take."  The 
marginal  reading  is,  "  Overseer^s  office,''^  which  is  all  it  could 
mean  at  that  time — Dioceses  proper  not  being  then  in  exist- 
ence. 

Blessed  Virgin.  The  title  of  "  Blessed,"  is  given  on  the 
authority  of  scripture,  to  the  mother  of  our  Lord  : — "  Hail, 
thou  art  highly  favored,  the  Lord  is  with  thee :  Messed  art 
thou  among  women."*  In  the  song  of  the  Virgin,  also,  oc- 
curs the  expression  : — "  Behold,  from  henceforth  all  genera- 
tions shall  call  me  hlessed.''^-\  In  the  use  of  this  term,  the 
Church  has  therefore  a  sufficient  guaranty  to  I'elieve  her  from 
the  slightest  charge  of  superstition.  Says  Latimer : — "  Marj^ 
was  a  blessed  woman,  and  yet  not  such  as  should  be  worship- 
ped.":}: Undoubtedly:  and  wisely  has  the  Church  repudi- 
ated all  such  worship,  and  all  invocations  and  other  forms 
which  might  lead  to  it,  by  presenting  to  us  a  Liturgy  free 
from  those  excrescences,  and  yet  respectful  enough  to  the 
Virgin  Mary,  to  number  us  with  those  generations  which  shall 
call  her  blessed. 

Blessing.     See  Benediction. 

BoNUM  est.  The  first  words,  in  Latin,  of  one  of  the 
hymns  in  the  Evening  Service,  beginning : — "  It  is  a  good 
thing,"  &c. 

This  hymn,  or  the  longer  one  which  precedes  it,  called 
'^  Cantate  Doniino,"  is  appointed  to  be  read  or  chanted  after 
the  conclusion  of  the  first  Lesson. 

"Both  kinds."  This  expression  is  found  in  one  of  the 
rubrics  of  the  Communion  service.  It  is  a  technical  or  scho- 
lastic phrase,  meaning  that  at  the  reception  of  the  Holy  Com. 
munion,  both  the  bread  and  wine  should  be  given  to  the  lay 

*  Luke  i.  28.        t  Ibid.  i.  48.         t  Sermon  on  the  Birth  of  Christ^ 


BOW  ^^ 

communicants.  The  allusion  is  to  the  custom  of  the  Romish 
Church,  of  withholding  the  wine  from  the  laity,  who  are  thus 
said  to  communicate  in  only  one  kind,  while  in  Protestant 
Churches  both  the  elements  are  given,  and  the  communicants 
are  said  to  receive  in  ''hoth  kinds."  See  the  rubric  in  the 
Communion  Office,  immediately  preceding  the  delivery  of  the 
elements,  and  also  Article  XXX. 

Bowing  at  the  name  q/"  Jesus.  It  is  a  significant  and  long 
established  custom  of  the  Church,  to  make  some  external 
mark  of  reverence  at  the  occurrence  of  the  name  of  Jesus  in 
the  services  of  the  sanctuary.  Whether  this  took  its  rise 
from  a  literal  understanding  of  the  w)rds  of  St.  Paul,  that 
"  at  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee  should  bow,"  &c.  or  from 
the  reasonableness  of  the  thing  itself,  or  as  a  strong  and  pal- 
pable  check  against  heresy  respecting  our  Lord's  divinity,  it 
is  at  this  distance  of  time  impossible  to  say.  Perhaps  all 
these  motives  had  an  influence  in  the  establishment  of  the 
custom. 

The  usual  form  of  obeisance  adopted,  is  that  of  bowing  the 
head  ;  and  in  the  eighteenth  Canon  of  the  Church  of  England, 
external  obeisance  is  made  obligatory  not  only  in  the  Creed, 
but  in  other  parts  of  the  service  where  the  name  of  Jesus  oc- 
curs. The  grounds  on  which  it  is  placed  will  be  seen  in  the 
following  extract  from  the  Canon  : — "  When  in  time  of  di- 
vine service  the  Lord  Jesus  shall  be  mentioned,  due  and 
lowly  reverence  shall  be  done  by  all  persons  present,  as  it  has 
been  accustomed ;  testifying  by  these  outward  ceremonies 
and  gestures  their  inward  humility,  Christian  resolution,  and 
due  acknowledgment  that  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  true 
eternal  Son  of  God,  is  the  only  Saviour  of  the  world,  in  whom 
alone  all  the  mercies,  graces,  and  promises  of  God  to  man- 
kind for  this  life,  and  the  life  to  come,  are  fully  and  wholly 
comprised." 

No  heresy  can  be  more  dangerous  and  destructive  of  the 
90uls  of  men,  than  that  of  a  denial  of  the  essential  divinity  of 
7* 


78  BEE 

the  Son  of  God.  And  in  proportion  to  the  danger,  has  been 
the  care  of  the  Church  to  make  her  children  strong  in  the 
faith,  and  ever  watchful  against  the  intrusion  of  this  deadly 
error.  Hence  the  powerful  and  striking  language  employed 
in  all  her  Creeds,  in  asserting  the  cardinal  point  of  every 
Christian  man's  belief;  and  the  constant  and  undeviating 
proclamation  of  it  in  every  part  of  the  Liturgy,  especially  in 
the  frequent  occurrence  of  the  Gloria  Patri.  The  same  bene- 
ficial  tendency  must  be  ascribed  to  the  act  of  obeisance  we 
are  considering ;  which,  though  not  resting  on  canonical  au- 
thority in  the  American  Church,  is  yet  a  custom  too  closely 
linked  with  important  fact  to  be  hastily  thrown  aside,  or  ac- 
counted  a  mere  ceremony.  It  is  a  perilous  matter,  hints  a 
writer,  to  abrogate  a  custom  which  nourishes  the  germ  of  a 
living  doctrine.  This  is  serious  truth  ;  and  it  may  be  safely 
predicted,  that  if  the  plague  of  Socinianism  shall  ever  cross 
the  threshold  of  the  Church,  it  will  not  date  its  triumphs  from 
the  pulpit,  but  from  the  gradual  disuse  of  the  doxologies,  the 
invocations,  and  the  ascriptions  of  honor  to  Christ,  in  that 
nobler  barrier  of  the  Church — the  Liturgy.  In  the  fore-front 
of  these  stands  that  act  of  obeisance,  which  the  Church  has 
long  and  universally  rendered  to  her  Divine  Head.  We  only 
ask  those  who  neglect  it,  can  they  tell  "  whereunto  this  may 
grow?" 

BoY-BisHOP.  (Episcopus  puerorum.)  In  the  ancient 
Church,  this  appellation  was  given  to  one  of  the  boys  of  the 
choir,  who,  at  the  time  of  the  celebration  of  certain  feasts, 
assumed  the  garments  of  a  Bishop,  and  in  them  ludicrously 
exercised  among  his  companions  episcopal  jurisdiction.  His 
office  lasted  about  a  month,  and  if  he  died  in.  its  execution,  he 
was  buried  in  pontijicalibus* 

Breviary.  A  book  containing  the  daily  service  and  forms 
of  the  Romish  Church. 


*  Laws  relating  to  the  Clergy. 


BlTRIAL  SERVICE.  79 

Burial  service.  This  rich  and  affecting  portion  of  our 
ritual,  has  long  been  considered  as  an  evidence  of  the  admi- 
rable  judgment  which  tempered  the  minds  of  the  reformers  of 
the  Church  of  England.  Some  slight  alterations  have  been 
made  in  the  American  editions,  by  the  revisal  or  omission  of 
a  few  expressions  liable  to  misconstruction,  but  nothing  to 
efface  or  diminish  the  sweet  serenity  and  holy  feeling  which 
pervade  the  entire  office. 

Tlie  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  in  her  burial  service, 
looks  solely  to  the  benefit  of  the  living,  and  in  this  respect  dif- 
fers widely  from  those  Churches  whose  funeral  offices  con- 
template some  beneficial  result  to  the  departed  spirit.  Hence 
the  entire  absence  of  prayers  for  the  dead,  and  those  super- 
stitious ceremonies  which  abound  in  the  ritual  of  the  Church 
of  Rome,  &c.,  the  greater  part  of  which  are  as  useless  to  the 
living  as  they  are  unprofitable  to  the  dead.  Even  should  we 
place  the  burial  service  on  the  low  ground  of  a  mere  testi- 
mony of  respect  to  our  deceased  friends,  it  is  still  an  influen- 
tial  lesson  for  those  who  survive,  by  encouraging  them  to  imi- 
tate  the  virtues  they  are  so  afl^ectingly  called  to  revere. 

Religious  solemnities  at  funerals  can  never  be  lightly  es- 
teemed by  those  who  reflect  on  the  destiny  of  the  human 
body.  That  body  is  the  handiwork  of  God,  and  will  one 
day  be  raised,  to  renew  a  life  not  of  months  and  years,  but 
of  immortality  Uke  that  of  the  angels  of  heaven.  Among  all 
the  usages  of  the  Church,  there  is  none  which  takes  us  so 
near  to  the  brink  of  eternity  as  this  ;  which  opens  so  vast  a 
range  of  meditation  on  futurity  ;  and  which  gives  a  more 
healthful  tone  to  a  mind  too  apt  to  be  cankered  with  this 
world's  pursuits.  All  Christian  nations  have  felt  this,  and 
hence  have  arisen  the  rites  which  always  accompany  sepul- 
ture in  every  part  of  Christendom. 

The  rubric  at  the  head  of  the  Order  for  Burial,  expressly 
forbids  the  use  of  this  service  "  for  any  unbaptized  adults,  any 
who  die  excommunicate,  or  who  have  laid  violent  hands  upon 


80  BURIAL    SERVICE. 

themselves."  And  in  the  General  Convention  of  1808,  it 
was  declared  that  the  office  ought  not  to  be  used,  in  the  case 
of  any  person  who  shall  give  or  accept  a  challenge  to  a  duel. 
This  resolution  was  modified  by  the  General  Convention  of 
1811,  to  admit  the  performance  of  this  service,  when  such 
persons  have  afterwards  exhibited  evidences  of  sincere 
repentance. 

The  key  to  the  rubric,  is  the  simple  fact  that  the  Burial 
Service  is  framed  to  meet  the  condition  of  those  only  who 
die  in  the  communion  of  the  Church.  Hence,  1st,  It  is 
wholly  improper  in  the  case  of  those  who  have  never  entered 
her  pale  by  the  sacrament  of  Baptism.  On  these  the  Church 
passes  no  sentence,  leaving  that  for  the  Judge  of  all  men ; 
but  yet  "  cannot  properly  use  an  office  at  their  funeral,  which 
all  along  supposes  the  person  that  is  buried,  to  have  died  in 
her  communion."  *  The  same  remark  will  apply,  2d,  to 
those  who  have  been  excommunicated,  or  publicly  rejected 
from  the  communion  of  the  Church.  These  are  "  denied 
Christian  burial  also,  with  the  intent  of  bringing  the  excom- 
municated  to  seek  their  absolution,  and  the  Church's  peace 
for  their  soul's  health,  ere  they  leave  this  world."  f  And 
3d,  suicides  are  denied  the  same  office,  "  and  for  very  great 
reason  :  namely,  to  terrify  all  from  committing  so  detestable 
and  desperate  a  sin,  as  is  the  wilful  destroying  of  God's 
image,  the  casting  away  of  their  own  souls,  as  well  as  their 
opportunities  of  repentance  :  the  Church  hereby  declaring, 
that  she  hath  little  hope  of  their  salvation,  who  die  in  an  act 
of  the  greatest  wickedness,  which  they  can  never  repent  of, 
after  it  be  committed."  f 

In  the  Burial  service  in  the  English  Prayer-book,  objec- 
tions  have  been  made  against  certain  phrases  in  the  two  final 
prayers,  as  implying  too  strong  a  confidence  in  the  salvation 
of  the  deceased,   to  be  used  with  safety  on  all  occasions. 

*  Whcatly.  t  Dean  Comber. 


CAL 


81 


These  expre55sions  heve  been  vindicated  by  the  English 
ritualists  ;  but  in  the  American  revisal  are  rejected  alto. 
gether,  or  so  changed  as  to  remove  all  objection. 

In  the  first  book  of  King  Edward,  it  was  ordered  by  rubric, 
that  the  Priest  should  appear  at  funerals  in  his  Siirplice. 


Calendar.  A  methodical  distribution  of  time  throughout 
the  year,  into  months,  weeks,  and  days. 

The  Calendar  in  the  Prayer-book  is  a  list  of  all  the  days 
in  the  year,  with  the  appropriate  titles  of  all  the  immoveable 
feasts,  i.  e.  such  as  occur  on  certain  fixed  days.  In  connection 
with  the  Calendar,  the  Church  sets  forth  her  course  of  Scrip- 
ture lessons,  for  the  various  days,  in  columns  parallel  with 
the  Calendar.  Of  these,  strictly  speaking,  the  list  of  days 
alone  constitutes  the  Calendar  ;  hence  the  running  title  in  the 
English  and  some  American  Prayer-books,  viz  :  "  The  Cal- 
endar, with  the  Table  of  Lessons  ;  '*  but  by  popular  usage,  the 
list  of  daily  lessons  is  now  embraced  under  the  same  general 
title  of  Calendar. 

The  chief  object  of  the  Calendar  is  that  of  prescribing  the 
lessons  of  Scripture  to  be  used  in  public  service  on  each 
ordinary  day  of  the  year  ;  and  the  nccessit)'  and  usefulness  of 
these  tables  will  be  appreciated,  when  it  is  recollected  that 
the  Church  service  was  originally  designed  for  daily  use,  and 
not  merely  for  Sundays  and  holy  days. 

In  the  American  Prayer-book  the  Calendar  consists  of 
seven  columns.  In  the  first  is  given  the  day  of  the  month. 
The  second  contains  the  first  seven  letters  of  the  alphabet 
affixed  to  the  days  of  the  week,  of  which  we  shall  speak  more 
at  length  in  another  place.    See  Sunday  letter.    In  the  third 


82  CAN 

column,  are  the  names  of  the  immoveable  feasts.  The  next 
two  columns  give  the  references  for  the  first  and  second 
lessons  of  morning  prayer,  and  the  last  two  those  for  evening 
prayer. 

It  will  be  observed,  that  in  the  columns  of  lessons  there 
are  vacancies  opposite  to  all  the  days  designated  as  holy 
days.  Sometimes  the  omission  is  oi  all  the  lessons  of  morn- 
ing and  evening  prayer  ;  at  other  times,  of  only  the  first 
lessons.  In  such  cases,  the  proper  lessons  will  be  found  in 
the  table  for  holy  days,  immediately  preceding  the  Calendar, 
which,  in  connection  with  the  Calendar,  gives  the  full  allot- 
ment of  lessons  for  each  of  those  days. 

Before  the  Calendar,  is  placed  a  "  Table  of  Lessons  for 
Sundays,"  which  takes  precedence  of  the  lessons  appointed 
in  the  former  for  the  days  of  the  month  on  which  any  of  those 
Sundays  may  fall.  Thus,  if  the  10th  of  June  should  be  an 
ordinary  day  of  the  week,  the  lessons  for  that  day  would 
be  found,  by  consulting  the  Calendar,  opposite  to  that  date. 
But  if  otherwise,  (i.  e.  if  the  10th  of  June  were  a  Sunday,) 
the  Calendar  lessons  would  not  be  used,  but  those  prescribed 
for  that  particular  Sunday  in  the  appointed  table.  The  same 
order  is  followed  in  relation  to  the  other  holy  days,  for  which 
special  provision  is  made  in  the  "  Table  of  Lessons  for  Holy 
Da^-s."  These  always  take  precedence  of  the  current  les- 
sons in  the  Calendar. 

The  views  of  the  Church  in  the  appointment  of  occasional 
lessons  from  the  Apocrypha,  will  be  found  by  a  reference  to 
the  article  under  that  head. 

Candidate.  In  the  Church,  one  who  is  in  a  state  of  pre- 
paration  for  the  Ministry,  or  for  any  public  act  or  office  of  a 
religious  nature. 

Candidates  for  Baptism^  when  adults,  are  required  to  give 
timely  notice  to  the  Minister ;  "  that  so  due  care  may  be 
taken  for  their  examination,  whether  they  be  sufficiently  in- 
structed in  the  principles  of  the  Christian  religion  ;  and  that 


CAN  83 

they  may  be  exhorted  to  prepare  themselves  with  prayers 
and  fastings  for  the  receiving  of  this  Holy  Sacrament." 

Candidates  for  Confirmation,  are  expected  diligently  to 
prosecute  their  preparatory  religious  exercises,  under  the 
direction  and  care  of  their  pastor,  seeking  earnestly  for  those 
holy  dispositions  and  solemn  purposes  for  the  future,  to  which 
the  minister  must  look  as  evidence  that  they  are  "  fit  to  be 
presented  to  the  Bishop  to  be  confirmed." 

Candidates  for  the  Holy  Communion,  having  been  made 
members  of  the  Church  by  baptism,  are  required  either  to  be 
confirmed,  or  to  be  "  ready  and  desirous  to  be  confirmed," 
previously  to  their  admission  to  the  altar.  And  the  pastor 
is  also  empowered  by  virtue  of  his  office,  to  reject  all  such 
as  come  within  the  description  of  unworthy  applicants,  as 
given  in  the  Rubrics  at  the  head  of  the  Communion  Office. 

Candidates  for  Holy  Orders,  are  a  class  of  persons  for 
whose  conduct  and  regulation  certain  Canons  are  set  forth  by 
the  Church.  These  relate  to  various  points  connected  with 
moral  and  religious  character, — literary  attainments, — attach- 
ment to  the  Church, — term  of  study, — proceedings  in  view  of 
ordination,  &;c.  &c.  ;  for  full  information  on  which  the 
reader  will  consult  Canons  IX.  X.  XI.  and  XII.  of  the 
General  Convention.     See  also  Lay  Reader. 

Candlemas  day.  A  name  formerly  given  to  the  festival 
of  the  Purification  of  the  Virgin  Mary.  In  the  ancient 
Church,  this  day  was  remarkable  for  the  number  of  light- 
ed candles,  which  were  borne  about  in  processions,  and 
placed  in  churches,  in  memory  of  Him  who  came  to  be  "  a 
light  to  lighten  the  Gentiles,"  and  the  glory  of  his  people 
Israel.    From  this  custom  the  name  is  supposed  to  be  derived. 

Canon.  A  word  of  very  extensive  signification  in  the 
language  of  the  Church,  but  always  carrying  more  or  less, 
the  sense  of  the  original  Greek,  xavwv,  a  rule  or  measure^ 
The  following  are  instances  of  the  various  appUcations  of 
the  word  in  the  ancient  and  modern  Church. 


84  CANON. 

1.  The  roil  or  catalogue  of  the  Clergy.  Hence  all  those 
who  were  enrolled  were  anciently  called  Canonici,*  The 
sixteenth  Canon  of  the  Council  of  Nice  begins  thus  : — 
"  Whatever  Priests  or  Deacons,  or  whoever  are  listed  in  the 
Canon,  do  rashly  *  *  *  *  remove  from  the  Church,"  &c. 
And  in  the  2d  Canon  of  Antioch  we  have  a  still  better  ex- 
ample. "If  any  Bishop,  Priest,  or  Deacon,  or  other  who 
belongs  to  the  Canon,  communicate  with  one  excommu- 
nicated, he  also  shall  be  excommunicated,  as  confounding  the 
Canon  of  the  Church." 

2.  The  Creed.  So  called  in  the  ancient  Church,  from  its 
being  the  authorized  standard,  or  rule  of  the  orthodox  faith. 

3.  That  part  of  the  Communion  Office,  including  the  con> 
secration  of  the  Elements,  which  was  fixed  and  invariable  ; 
differing  in  this  respect  from  other  portions  of  the  Liturgy, 
which  might  be  changed  by  the  proper  ecclesiastical 
authorities. 

4.  A  certain  tax  or  tribute  exacted  in  the  ancient  Church, 
of  men,  "  for  their  lands  and  possessions."  f 

5.  The  authorized  list  or  catalogue  of  the  books  of  Holy 
Scripture. 

6.  A  law  or  ordinance  of  the  Church,  enacted  by  a  Coun- 
cil or  other  ecclesiastical  body.  In  this  sense  the  term  is 
now  commonly  used.     See  Canons  of  the  Church. 

7.  In  the  Church  of  England,  a  clergyman  who  receives 
a  prebend  or  stipend,  for  the  performance  of  divine  service  in 
a  cathedral  or  collegiate  Church.  "  Originally,  Canons  were 
only  priests,  or  inferior  ecclesiastics,  who  lived  in  the  com- 
munity, residing  near  the  cathedral  Church,  to  assist  the 
bishop,  depending  entirely  on  his  will,  supported  by  the 
revenues  of  his  bishopric,  and  living  in  the  same  house  as  his 
domestics  or  counsellors,  &c.  By  degrees,  these  commu- 
nities  of  priests,  shaking  off  their  dependence,  formed  sepa- 

♦  Bingham,  I.  37.     t  Ibid.  441. 


CAN  86 

rate  bodies  ;  in  time  they  freed  themselves  from  their  rules, 
and  at  length  ceased  to  live  in  a  community." 

Canons  of  the  Church.  The  laws  or  ordinances  by  which 
the  discipline  and  government  of  the  Church  is  maintained. 
In  the  American  Church  these  are  of  two  kinds  : — 1st.  The 
Canons  of  the  General  Convention,  which  have  force  through- 
out all  the  Dioceses  of  this  Church  in  the  United  States. 
2d.  Diocesan  Canons,  the  obligation  of  which  extends  only  to 
the  particular  Diocese  in  which  they  are  enacted. 

The  design  of  the  General  Canons  is,  to  ensure  to  the 
ivhole  Church,  the  blessings  of  unity,  peace,  and  concord,  the 
attainment  of  which  would  be  worse  than  problematical, 
without  the  adoption  of  some  broader  system  of  legislation 
than  that  of  individual  Dioceses  in  their  own  separate  Con- 
ventions. 

The  particular  or  Diocesan  Canons,  on  the  other  hand,  are 
framed  by  the  Conventions  of  the  several  Dioceses,  and  sup- 
ply rules  and  forms  of  proceeding,  adapted  to  the  circum- 
stances and  wants  of  the  portions  of  the  Church  for  which 
they  are  designed,  including  regulations  for  those  subordinate 
acts  of  discipline,  &c.  which,  from  the  nature  of  the  case,  do 
not  fall  within  the  province  of  the  General  Convention  to 
determine. 

Canon  of  Scripture.  The  term  Canon,  or  Rule,  has,  from 
the  earliest  times,  been  employed  to  designate  the  exact  list, 
or  catalogue,  of  the  inspired  writings.  In  a  stricter  sense,  it 
denotes  the  Scriptures  themselves,  as  constituting  the  deter- 
minate  and  only  rule  of  a  Christian's  faith  and  practice. 
Hence  they  were  often  spoken  of  collectively,  as  "  the  Canon 
of  truth," — "the  true  Evangelical  Canon," — or,  "the  Eccle- 
siastical Canon  ;  "  and  such  books  as  were  (^ivinely  inspired, 
bore  the  name  of  canonical,  or  were  said  to  have  been  re- 
ceived into  the  sacred  Canon. 

In  Article  VI.  the  Church  declares,  in  the  first  place,  the 
"sufficiency  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  for  Salvation,"  and  then 

8 


86  CAN 

srets  forth  "the  names  and  numbers  of  the  Canonical  Books." 
One  leading  object  of  this  definition  was  to  counteract  the  er- 
ror of  the  Church  of  Rome  on  these  points.  The  Romanists 
contend  that  "  the  books  of  the  New  Testament  do  not  con- 
tain the  whole  rule  of  a  Christian's  faith  and  practice ;  they 
believe  that  the  Apostles  orally  delivered  many  doctrines  and 
precepts  of  the  highest  importance  to  our  eternal  happiness, 
which  are  not  contained  in  the  New  Testament ;  and  they 
fui'ther  believe,  that  these  doctrines  and  precepts  have  been 
faithfully  transmitted  to  the  present  times,  and  there  is  an  in- 
fallible authority,  vested  by  Christ  in  his  Church,  to  judge  of 
their  correctness,  and  to  distinguish  those  which  are  true 
from  those  which  are  false.  On  the  contrary,  we  of  the 
Church  of  England  affirm,  that  the  Scriptures  contain  a  com- 
plete rule  of  faith  and  practice ;  and  we  reject  every  doc- 
trine and  precept,  as  essential  to  salvation,  or  to  be  obeyed 
as  divine,  which  is  not  supported  by  their  authority."  * 

As  the  Romanists  also  contend  for  the  canonical  authority 
of  most  of  the  Apocryphal  Books,  and  ratify  this  by  the  deter- 
mination of  the  Council  of  Trent,  the  latter  portion  of  the  Ar- 
ticle sets  forth  the  limits  of  the  Canon,  and  the  views  of  the 
Church  relative  to  the  "other  Books  called  Apocryphal." 

Canonical.  According  to  the  Canon.  Thus,  the  Epis- 
tles of  St.  Paul  are  called  Canonical  Booksy  because  they  are 
found  in  the  Canon  of  Scripture,  or  in  the  list  of  sacred  books 
forming  the  Bible. 

The  word  refers,  also,  to  such  things  as  are  done  agreeably 
to  the  Canons  of  the  Church.  For  example  ; — if  the  Bishop 
of  Virginia  or  of  Kentucky  should  in  those  States  admin- 
ister  ordination  or  confirmation,  it  would  be  right  and  canon, 
ical,  because  to  them  is  committed  the  spiritual  jurisdiction 
of  those  States  or  Dioceses  ;  but  if  they  should  perform  the 
same  acts  in  New-  York  or  Pennsylvania,  &c.  without  per- 


Bishop  Tomline. 


CAN  87 

mission  from  the  Ecclesiastical  authority  there,  it  would  be 
uncanonical,  because  directly  contrary  to  the  Canons  or  laws 
of  the  Church. 

Canonical  hours.  Certain  portions  of  time  set  apart  for 
the  performance  of  Divine  offices,  &c.  Thus  in  England, 
marriage  cannot  be  legally  solemnized  in  the  Church,  except 
between  the  hours  of  eight  and  twelve  in  the  morning. 

Canonical  residence.  A  term  indicating  that  connexion 
of  a  clergyman,  or  candidate  for  orders,  with  a  diocese 
and  its  Bishop,  or  ecclesiastical  authority,  or  with  a  Mis- 
sionary Bishop,  by  which  he  becomes  responsible  or  amena- 
ble to  such  superior  authority  for  his  ministerial  acts  and 
moral  character.  Canonical  residence  has  no  necessary 
connection  with  actual  residence,  but  simply  means  canoni- 
cal or  diocesan  responsibility.  Thus,  a  clergyman  may  be 
actually  a  resident  in  one  diocese,  while  he  is  canonically 
resident  in  another,  a  thing  of  every-day  occurrence,  and 
yet,  not  affecting  the  relation  subsisting  between  such  clergy- 
man and  his  ecclesiastical  superior. 

A  clergyman  desiring  to  change  his  canonical  residence, 
is  required  to  lay  before  the  ecclesiastical  authority  of  the 
diocese  in  which  he  desires  to  reside,  a  testimonial  of  his 
standing  and  character,  and  of  his  wish  to  be  transferred, 
from  the  ecclesiastical  authority  of  the  diocese  in  which 
he  has  last  resided ;  and  on  the  presentation  of  such  testi- 
monial, (or  dimissory  letter,)  the  Bishop  or  ecclesiastical 
authority  to  whom  it  is  addressed,  may  receive  him  under 
his  or  their  jurisdiction. 

A  letter  of  dismission  does  not  affect  the  canonical  resi- 
dence of  the  minister  receiving  it,  until  he  shall  be  received 
into  some  other  Diocese  by  the  Bishop  or  ecclesiastical  au- 
thority thereof. 

Canonization.  In  the  Romish  Church,  the  ceremony  or 
act  of  enrolling  a  deceased  person  in  the  list  of  saints. 

Cantate  Domino.     ("  O  sing  unto  the  Lord.")     One  of 


88  CANTATE    DOMINO. 

the  inspired  anthems  to  be  said  or  sung  after  the  first  lesson 
at  Evening  Prayer.  Universal  testimony,  both  Jewish  and 
Christian,  has  long  ago  decided  that  this  Psalm  is  prophetical 
of  the  Messiah,  and  the  triumphs  of  his  kingdom.  And 
there  is  in  it,  a  strain  of  such  noble  rejoicing,  connected 
with  so  clear  a  statement  of  particulars  applicable  only,  to 
the  Christian  dispensation,  that  every  one  must  see  the  prO- 
priety  with  which  it  is  interwoven  in  the  daily  services  of  the 
Church.  It  is  a  song  eminently  evangelical.  "Jesus  is 
adored  in  the  victories  of  his  redemption,  and  the  Church  is 
called  upon  to  sing  aloud  in  the  triumphs  of  his  grace." 

In  the  opening  of  this  Psalm  the  reasons  are  stated  for  this 
exuhing  song.  "He  hath  done  marvellous  things."  The 
Actor  is  the  Redeemer  of  men.  He  hath  done  it.  "  I  have 
trodden  the  wine-press  alone."  And,  more  than  this,  "he 
hath  gotten  himself  the  victory."  Who  were  the  foes  Christ 
defeated?  Did  sin  oppose  him?  He  "finished  transgres- 
sion, and  made  an  end  of  sin."  Did  the  Prince  of  darkness 
assail  him?  "For  this  purpose  the  Son  of  God  was  mani- 
fested,  that  he  might  destroy  the  works  of  the  devil."  Did 
death  withstand  him  ?  He  replies,  "  O  death  !  I  will  be  thy 
plagues.  O  grave  !  I  will  be  thy  destruction."  Did  hell 
frown  upon  him  ?  He  robbed  it  of  its  prey,  and  gave  to 
mankind  the  hope  of  everlasting  Hfe.  "Sing,"  therefore, 
"to  the  Lord  a  new  song." 

But  now  we  come  to  the  song  itself;  and  how  majestic  the 
climax  to  which  it  towers  !  Let  all  lands  be  joyful.  And 
why?  Because  the  news  of  redemption  has  come  ; — because 
the  chain  by  which  earth  and  heaven  were  once  linked  to- 
gether, but  which  was  broken  by  sin,  has  suddenly  been  re- 
newed. "  Sing,  rejoice,  and  give  thanks."  If  God  made  the 
voice,  let  the  voice  praise  him  ;  and  not  in  tones  of  sorrow, 
but  with  the  joyous  notes  of  gratitude.  Then,  bring  out  the 
stringed  instruments.     Awake  the  harp, — "  sing  to  the  harp 


CANTATE    DOMINO.  89 

with  a  Psalm  of  thanksgiving."     Yet  more ;    call  up  the 
stirring  clarion, 

"  Now  give  the  hautbois  breath," 

"  with  trumpets  also  and  shawms  ;  "  implying  the  use  of  all 
luind  instruments.  The  allusion  is  to  the  ceremonies  at  the 
inauguration  of  the  Jewish  kings.  But  it  is  the  King  of 
kings  for  whom  this  array  of  praise  is  made.  "  God  is  gone 
up  with  a  shout ;  the  Lord  with  the  sound  of  a  trumpet."  But 
there  is  yet  a  further  advance  ;  "  let  the  sea  make  a  noise,  and 
all  that  therein  is ;  the  round  world,  and  they  that  dwell 
therein."  Here,  says  a  writer,  "  all  inanimate  creation  seems 
called  upon  to  join  the  song ;  for  if  men  should  be  silent,  the 
very  stones  of  the  earth  would  cry  out."  *  The  climax  admits 
of  another  degree.  "  Let  the  floods  clap  their  hands,  and  let 
the  hills  be  joyful  together  before  the  Lord."  Before,  the 
appeal  was  to  the  sea ;  now  it  ascends  to  the  ten  thousand 
rivers  and  streams.  Before,  it  was  to  the  round  world ;  now 
it  echoes  on  the  mountains  and  hills.  Let  all  be  joyful  to- 
gether. Let  all  who  dwell  on  the  floods  rejoice,  and  all  who 
inhabit  the  hills.  In  short,  "  let  every  thing  that  hath  breath 
praise  the  Lord."  Redemption  has  dawned  on  the  world, 
and  the  reign  of  superstition,  idolatry,  and  all  the  power  of 
sin  is  abolished,  and  can  no  longer  boast  of  victory.  But 
there  is  another  motive  besides  this,  and  it  is  an  awful  one  : 
"For  he  cometh  to  judge  the  earth.''  But  why  all  this  re- 
joicing  at  such  an  event  ?  How  solemn  the  scene  !  How 
alarming  the  thought,  that  so  heart-searching  a  person  should 
come  to  "bring  to  light  the  hidden  things  of  darkness,"  and 
to  make  manifest  all  human  counsels !  To  the  unbeliever, 
there  is  indeed  little  cause  of  joy  ;  but  to  all  who  love  and 
obey  the  truth,  the  advent  of  Christ  is  a  subject  of  cheering 


Hawker. 

8* 


90  CAR 

thought,  and  lively  meditation.  And  he  shall  hereafter  "judge 
the  world  with  righteousness,  and  the  people  with  equity." 
No  partiaUty  will  vitiate  his  decisions,  for  without  respect  of 
persons,  he  will  try  every  man  by  his  works.  Wouldst  thou 
join  with  David  in  these  rich  exultations?  Wouldst  thou 
rejoice  because  there  is  one  to  whom  all  hearts  are  open  ? 
Think  then  as  the  Psalmist  did  of  human  redemption.  Mea- 
sure  in  some  degree  that  mercy  which  brought  Christ  from 
above ;  and  then  will  wonder  spring  up  within,  and  wonder 
will  merge  into  love,  and  love  will  wake  to  praise. 

Cantica.     The  Latin  for  the  Songs  of  Solomon. 

Canticle.  A  song  or  hymn.  The  Song  of  Solomon  in 
the  Bible,  is  composed  of  several  shorter  songs  of  this  kind, 
and  is  frequently  called  by  the  title  of  "  Canticles."  In 
the  Prayer-book,  the  hymn  after  the  Te  Deum,  beginning 
"  O  all  ye  works  of  the  Lord,"  is  also  denominated  a 
"  Canticle." 

Cardinal  virtues.  The  chief  or  most  excellent  of  Chris- 
tian graces.  These  are  usually  stated  as  four  in  number, 
viz  :  prudence,  temperance,  justice,  and  fortitude. 

"  Carried  about."  In  those  countries  where  the  Romish 
Church  prevails,  it  is  a  common  custom  to  have  religious  pro- 
cessions, composed  of  priests,  monks,  and  others,  who  pass 
along  the  streets  and  public  ways,  chanting  psalms,  and 
hymns,  and  performing  other  acts  of  devotion.  At  many  of 
these  processions,  the  bread  which  has  been  consecrated  at 
the  Holy  Communion,  (called  by  Roman  Catholics  "the 
host,^^)  is  carried  with  great  ceremony  by  one  of  the  priests  ; 
and  all  who  view  the  procession,  whether  it  be  in  the  Church 
or  in  the  street,  &c.,  are  required  to  kneel  while  it  passes  ; 
and  as  they  are  taught  that  the  "  host "  (or  consecrated  bread) 
has  been  changed  into  the  body  rf  Christ,  they  fall  down  and 
worship,  when  it  is  lifted  up  before  them  by  the  priest.* 


*  The  lifting  up  of  the  consecrated  bread,  is  called  by  them  *  the 
elevation  of  the  host." 


CAT  91 

In  reference  to  these  practices,  it  is  said  in  the  24th  Arti- 
cle,  that  "  The  Sacraments  were  not  ordained  of  Christ  to  be 
gazed  upon,  or  to  be  carried  about"  &c.  And  in  Article 
XXXVIII.  it  is  repeated,  that  "  The  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's 
Supper  was  not  by  Clirist's  Ordinance  reserved,  carried 
about,  lifted  up,  or  worshipped." 

In  the  United  States  these  customs  are  not  much  observed  ; 
but  it  has  been  thought  best  to  retain  in  the  Articles,  the 
testimony  of  the  Church  against  them,  as  being  unscriptural, 
and  tending  rather  to  evil  than  to  any  good  result. 

Cassock.     See  Clerical  garments. 

Catechising.  A  method  of  imparting  instruction  by  ques- 
tions  and  answers.  The  catechising  of  "  children  and  others 
in  the  principles  of  religion,  is  founded  upon  the  institution  of 
God  himself,  and  is  agreeable  to  the  best  examples  in  Scrip- 
ture."  In  the  early  days  of  the  Christian  Church  much  at- 
tention was  given  to  this  mode  of  instruction.  A  class  of 
men,  under  the  name  of  Catecliists,  were  set  apart  for  the 
purpose.  But  catechetical  instructions  were  not  given  up 
solely  to  laymen,  for  Presbyters  and  Bishops  of  the  Church 
frequently  took  upon  themselves  the  same  labors,  the  great 
object  being  to  ditfusc  religious  knowledge  in  that  way  which 
promised  to  be  most  successful. 

The  authority  on  which  this  mode  of  instruction  rests,  is 
that  of  Apostolic  precedent  and  Scriptural  example.  "  The 
word,  indeed,"  says  Bishop  Doane,  "  is  a  Scriptural  word,  the 
practice  is  a  Scriptural  practice.  When  St.  Luke  declares 
his  purpose,  in  writing  to  Theophilus,  to  be,  that  he  might 
know  the  certainty  of  those  things  wherein  he  was  instructed, 
the  literal  meaning  of  the  word  is  catechised.^  When  Apol. 
los  is  spoken  of  as  a  man  instructed  in  the  way  of  the  Lord, 
the  literal  sense  is  catechised.]'  And  when  St.  Paul  declares 
that  he  had  rather  speak  five  words  with  his  understanding, 

*  St.  Luke,  i.  4.  t  Acts,  xviii.  25. 


92  CATECHISING. 

that  he  might  teach  others,  than  ten  thousand  words  in  an 
unknown  tongue,  the  literal  rendering  is,  that  he  might 
catechise*  others.  And  accordingly,  St.  Cyril  says  expressly, 
that  "  St.  Paul  preached  the  Gospel,  from  Rome  to  lUyria, 
and  taught  at  Rome  by  catechising. "f  If  it  be  asked,  then, 
what  are  we  to  understand  precisely  by  this  term,  we  answer, 
in  the  words  of  Clement  of  Alexandria,  specially  this, — "  the 
knowledge  of  religion  first  delivered  to  the  ignorant  by  the 
catechist,  and  then  by  them  repeated  over  and  over  again,"J 
the  catechist  being  said  to  instruct,  by  making  the  elements 
of  Christian  doctrine  resound  in  the  ears  of  his  students,  and 
the  catechumen  being  said  to  be  taught  by  repeating  the 
words  addressed  to  him,  and  by  answering  questions. "§ 

Under  the  discipline  of  the  primitive  Church,  the  catechu, 
mens  were  divided  into  distinct  classes,  according  to  their 
proficiency ;  and  the  greater  portion  of  those  thus  instructed 
were  adults,  proselytes  from  heathenism.  In  the  present 
state  and  relations  of  the  Church,  this  early  usage  is  for  the 
most  part  superseded  by  change  of  circumstances,  and  the 
degree  of  light  cast  upon  the  world  at  large  by  the  Church. 
But,  however  true  it  may  be,  that  the  primary  elements  of 
religious  truth  are  speculatively  known  far  and  wide,  the 
Church  can  never  be  exonerated  from  the  obligation  of  im- 
pressing them  distinctly,  forcibly,  and  practically,  on  the  ten- 
der minds  of  her  younger  members,  by  systematic  efforts, 
directly  pursued,  in  the  full  conviction  that  she  is  the  centre 
of  light ;  and  if  her  glory  be  dimmed,  darkness  must  and  will 
enshroud  the  world.  Hence  the  Canons  and  Rubrics  of  the 
Church,  relative  to  catechising,  are  as  unlimited  by  time,  as 
the  commands  of  the  Bible  respecting  repentance  and  holy 
living.  They  are  standing  ordinances  of  the  Church,  ever 
to  be  regarded  as  laws  of  present  obligation,  so  long  as  chil- 

*  1  Corinthians,  xiv.  19. 

t  Catechesis,  xvii.  J6 — quoted  by  Gilly,  p.  G6. 

t  Cited  by  Comber,  in  Gilly,  p.  v. 

§  Bishop  Doane's  Second  Charge,  p.  13. 


CATPXHISING.  93 

dren  need  discipline,  both  for  the  lieart  and  the  head — so 
long  as  the  mandate  of  Christ  stands  unrepealed,  "  Feed  my 
LAMBS."  The  Church  Catechism  is  the  child's  body  of  divin- 
ity, in  which  godfathers  and  godmothers  are  to  "  take  care" 
that  they  be  "sufficiently  instructed."  The  title  itself  de- 
clares it  to  be  "  an  instruction  to  be  learned  by  every  person 
before  he  be  brought  to  be  confirmed  by  the  Bishop."  And 
therefore  the  rubrics  direct  that  "  The  Minister  of  every 
parish  shall  diligently,  upon  Sundays  and  holy  days,  or  on 
some  other  convenient  occasions,  openly  in  the  Church,  in- 
struct or  examine  so  many  children  of  his  parish,  sent  unto 
him,  as  he  shall  think  convenient,  in  some  part  of  this  Cate- 
chism." Still  further,  "All  Fathers,  Mothers,  &c.,  shal] 
cause  their  children,  servants,  and  apprentices,  who  have  not 
learned  their  Catechism,  to  come  to  the  Church  at  the  time 
appointed,"  &;c.  Then  comes  in  the  demand  of  the  Canon, 
that  the  parochial  Clergy  "  shall  not  only  be  diligent  in 
instructing  the  children  in  the  Catechism,  but  shall  also,  by 
stated  catechetical  lectures  and  instruction,  be  diligent  in 
informing  the  youth  and  others  in  the  doctrines,  constitution, 
and  liturgy  of  the  Church."*  Nothing  can  exceed  the  clear- 
ness and  force  with  which  the  duty  of  public  catechising  is 
stated  and  reiterated,  whenever  the  Church  directs  the 
pastor's  eye  to  the  tender  lambs  of  the  flock  ;  and  the  only 
wonder  is,  that  amid  the  profusion  of  religious  thought  ever 
streaming  forth  from  the  pulpit,  till  the  Church  is  literally 
waxing  lean  with  spiritual  indigestion,  the  just  and  imperative 
claims  of  the  tenderest  class  should  ever  have  been  over- 
looked, and  they  left  to  mourn,  in  silent  patience,  the  lack  of 
the  "  sincere  milk  of  the  word."  Yet  such,  but  a  few  years 
ago,  was  the  truth  of  the  case.  Hence  the  necessity  and 
popularity  of  Sunday  Schools,  the  teachei's  of  which,  in  some 
cases,  were  supposed,  by  a  flexible  species  of  logic,  to  fulfil 

*  Canon  XXVIII.  of  the  General  Convention. 


94  CATECHISING. 

by  proxy  the  rubrics  relating  to  the  pastor — numbers  on  the 
one  part  being  held  as  an  equipoise  for  office  on  the  other. 
Thanks  to  God,  that  without  lessening  the  usefulness  of 
Sunday  schools,  we  are  on  the  return  to  Catholic  usage — to 
that  sound  and  discriminating  outlay  of  ministerial  labor, 
which,  contemplating  the  spiritual  endowment  of  the  whole 
flock,  gathers  under  the  folds  of  the  ministerial  mantle  even 
the  youngest  heirs  of  sorrow  in  this  perilous  and  pitiless 
world. 

The  Church  loves  her  children.  Witness  her  constant 
sympathy  with  them ;  her  appreciation  of  their  perils,  of  their 
helplessness,  their  need  of  early  discipline,  their  liability  to 
float  on  the  current  of  passion,  their  slight  appreciation  of 
God,  and  of  eternity,  and  of  the  value  of  that  gem  within 
them  which  shall  outlive  the  stars  of  the  firmament.  And 
for  these,  the  Church  legislated  when  they  were  as  yet  un- 
born. Long  ago  were  her  affectionate  arms  stretched  out 
to  the  future,  to  receive  into  "  the  congregation  of  Christ's 
flock  "  the  young  soldiers  of  the  cross  ia  many  generations  to 
come.  The  change  of  times  and  habits,  and  of  the  rate  of 
mental  cultivation,  instead  of  making  void  these  efTorts  of  the 
Church,  should  call  them  more  vigorously  into  action,  now 
that  the  temptations  to  laxity,  and  the  want  of  the  reveren- 
tial spirit  of  former  days,  are  so  influential  in  an  adverse  di- 
rection. Religious  knowledge  is  a  gift  which  the  Church  is 
bound  ever  to  hold  forth,  and  this  with  especial  reference  to 
the  early  training  of  the  young.  The  era  of  childhood  is  a 
short  one ;  but  it  comprises  a  world  of  influences,  which 
without  a  figure,  may  be  deemed  immortal.  The  force  of 
early  impressions,  every  one  knows.  And  that  an  incontes- 
table superiority  should  be  given  to  religious  im.pressions, 
every  Christian  should  distinctly  feel.  To  these,  every  thing 
should  give  way,  and  stand  subordinate.  Intellectual  cultiva- 
tion without  spiritual  discipline,  never  yet  opened  the  gates  of 
heaven,  or  made  joy  among  the  angels  over  a  repentant  sin- 


CAT  95 

ner.  Hence  the  whole  drift  of  the  Bible  is  to  build  up  the 
supremacy  of  religion,  counting  all  "  wisdom  "  in  llie  absence 
of  this,  as  so  much  "  grief  "  ;  and  tlie  increase  of  "  knowledge  " 
only  the  increase  of  "sorrow." 

What  then  is  the  conclusion,  but  tliat  every  Christian,  eveiy 
philanthropist,  every  parent,  if  he  regard  cither  the  temporal 
or  the  eternal  well-being  of  the  youth  now  rising  up,  is  bound 
both  by  the  law  of  God,  the  force  of  reason,  and  the  purest 
impulses  of  benevolence,  to  provide  for  the  Christianizing 
of  those  into  whose  hands  the  interests  of  the  Church  and 
the  nation  are  hereafter  to  be  committed.  This  work  the 
Church  has  power  to  accomplish;  power  lodged  in  right- 
ful hands,  and  flowing  from  Him  who  has  promised  to  be 
with  her  to  the  end  of  the  world.  And  we  hail  as  one 
of  the  happiest  omens  of  good  to  the  Church,  that  the 
practice  of  public  catechising  is  rapidly  gaining  favor,  and 
seems  destined  eventually  to  resume  its  ancient  importance. 
When  that  shall  be  brought  about,  "  glorious  things  "  will  be 
spoken  of  "the  city  of  our  God."  The  sanctuary  will  be- 
come the  school  for  heaven ; — the  nursery  of  strong  and 
valiant  spirits  ; — the  centre  from  which  the  splendors  of 
primitive  piety  shall  light  up  the  earth.  The  timidity,  the 
fear,  the  vague  sense  of  right,  and  the  harassing, — if  not  the 
unworthy, — doubts  of  the  half-instructed  Christian,  will  die  at 
once,  because  their  chief  originating  cause  will  be  removed  ; 
and  instead  of  these,  a  race  born  and  trained  to  a  religious 
life — fed  from  infancy  with  angels'  food — armed  with  the 
bright  weapons  of  truth — endowed  with  a  double  measure  of 
the  Spirit  of  God, — will  adorn  and  protect  the  militant  Church, 
and  realize  once  more  the  dignity  of  that  imperishable  king- 
dom, whose  head  is  "  the  Mighty  God,  the  Prince  of  Peace." 

Catechism.  A  manual  of  instruction,  generally  in  the 
form  of  questions  and  answers.  The  term  catechise  is  de- 
rived from  the  Greek,  and  signifies  instruction  by  sound,  or 
by  verbal  converse  between  the  teacher  and  scholar.    Hence, 


96 


CATECHISr-I. 


a  Catechism  is  a  system  of  elementary  instiuction  usually 
conveyed  in  this  peculiar  manner. 

At  an  early  period  of  the  Reformation,  means  were  taken 
for  the  instruction  of  the  people  in  the  grounds  of  Christian 
doctrine,  by  the  publication  of  "The  Institution  of  a  Chris- 
tian  Man,"  which,  after  a  short  interval,  was  succeeded  by 
another  work,  or  more  properly  a  revisal,  of  the  first,  entitled 
"  A  Necessary  Doctrine  and  Erudition  for  any  Christian 
Man."  These  books  consisted  chiefly  of  an  exposition  of 
the  Apostles'  Creed,  the  seven  Sacraments,  (as  then  held,) 
the  Ten  Commandments,  the  Pater  Noster,  &c. 

The  views  maintained  in  the  "  Institution "  and  "  Erudi- 
tion "  were  not  such,  however,  as  in  all  points  met  the  sanc- 
tion of  the  Church  at  a  later  date,  though  in  the  main  they 
served  as  the  groundwork  of  the  Catechism  which  now  ap- 
pears in  our  Prayer-book.  Cranmer,  in  the  year  1548,  set 
forth  a  voluminous  Catechism,  "  originally  written  in  German, 
and  was  probably  one  of  the  many  Catechisms  to  which  Lu- 
ther's  own  gave  rise,  and  by  which  the  Reformation  in  Ger- 
many was  forwarded."  *  This  w^as  on  the  same  expository 
plan  as  the  two  works  already  named  ;  but  still  was  not  free 
from  those  immature  statements  respecting  the  sacraments, 
&c.,  which  were  naturally  to  be  expected  in  a  period  of  reli- 
gioiis  agitation,  when  by  slow  steps  men  were  searching  for 
the  truth,  rather  than  driving  the  chariot  of  a  mad  revolution. 
The  shorter  form  of  Catechism,  therefore,  became  the  model 
on  which  the  Church  formed  the  religious  principles  of  her 
sons.  This  was  brought  out  in  the  reign  of  Edward  VI.,  and 
admirably  filled  a  vacant  niche  in  tTie  best  monument  the  re- 
formers have  left  us — the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,"  "  It 
was  of  genuine  English  growth,"  says  Blunt,  "  though  of 
doubtful  origin  :  Strype  assigns  it  expressly  to  Nowell  ;  but 
the  modern  biographer  of  the  Dean  of  St.  Paul's,  questions 

*  Blunt's  Reformation  in  England,  p.  196. 


CATECHISM.  9t 

his  title  to  it,  and  rather  gives  it  to  Poinet,  afterwards  Bishop 
of  Winchester.  In  any  case,  Cranmer  appears  to  have  re- 
viewed and  digested  it,  not  without  the  able  co-operation  of 
Ridley,  It  made  a  part  of  the  Liturgy  of  King  Edward,  be- 
ing inserted  in  the  Office  for  Confirmation.  Nor  has  any 
material  change  been  since  introduced  into  it,  except  that 
the  explanation  of  the  Sacraments  was  added  in  the  reign  of 
James  I.,  the  original  Catechism  having  ended  with  the  ex- 
position of  the  Lord's  Prayer."* 

The  Church  Catechism,  like  the  Liturgy,  is  remarkable 
for  the  expansive  catholic  tone  of  its  doctrine, — never  stoop- 
ing to  define  the  dogmas  of  a  party,  but  holding  forth  those 
high  evangelical  principles  which  are  the  heritage  of  the 
Church  universal.  These  are  woven  together  in  this  beau- 
tiful compend,  with  a  simplicity  and  chasteness  of  language, 
characteristic  of  the  period  which  gave  it  birth,  and  admira- 
bly adapting  it  to  the  comprehension  of  the  young  disciples 
of  the  Redeemer.  Combined  with  this,  there  will  be  seen 
throughout,  a  strong  tinge  of  that  sweet  amenity  of  temper — 
not  less  gracious  than  graceful — so  triumphantly  contrasting 
with  the  vehement  and  denunciatory  language  pervading  too 
many  other  elementary  manuals.  This,  however,  is  not  a 
sacrifice  of  truth  to  peace,  for  every  fundamental  doctrine  is 
stated  with  an  honest  firmness  and  decision.  The  sinfulness 
of  man ;  the  need  of  regenerating  and  sanctifying  grace ;  the 
nature  of  the  atonement ;  the  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ  ;  the 
influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit ;  are  all  clearly  recognized  in 
this  little  form,  and  steadily  upheld  as  corner-stones  of  the 
Christian  system.  No  heresy  can  find  sanctuary  here  ;  nor 
is  there  a  "  God  speed  "  for  the  least  declension  from  "  the 
faith  once  delivered  unto  the  saints."  On  the  whole,  the 
Church  Catechism  will  probably  never  be  surpassed,  as  a 


Blunt's  Reformation  in  England,  p.  199. 
9 


98  CAT 

compact,  judicious,  orthodox,  and  intelligible  "  hand-book," 
for  instruction  in  the  doctrines  and  practice  of  the  gospel. 
It  is  a  miniature  of  Christianity  ;  an  epitome  of  revelation  ; 
or,  (if  we  may  so  say,)  an  image  without. a  flaw,  of  the  perfect 
Christian  man,  hewn  out  by  accomplished  hands,  and  need- 
ing no  shrine  but  its  own  worth,  to  captivate  the  good-will, 
and  challenge  the  protection,  of  posterity. 

Catechist.  One  who  mstructs  by  question  and  answer. 
More  strictly,  a  person  who  trains  up  others  in  the  elementary 
principles  of  Christianity,  through  the  medium  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, and  the  Catechism  of  the  Church.  The  term  might, 
therefore,  with  propriety  be  applied  to  the  la)'^  teachers  of 
Sunday  Schools  and  Bible  Classes,  and  might,  perhaps,  be 
their  most  appropriate  designation.  But  it  is  chiefly  given 
to  such  persons  as  are  appointed  by  the  Bishop,  to  attend  to 
this  duty  in  places  where  the  services  of  ministers  are  not  to 
be  obtained,  and  where  the  interests  of  the  Church  may, 
notwithstanding,  be  advanced  by  the  maintaining  of  public 
worship.  The  judicious  labors  of  the  Catechist,  may  often 
render  important  aid  to  the  Church  in  new  settlements,  or 
vacant  Missionary  stations,  by  preparing  the  way  for  the 
regular  ministrations  of  the  gospel, — by  gathering  together 
the  scattered  sheep  of  the  Redeemer's  fold, — and  by  teach- 
ing the  ignorant  the  truths  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  as  laid 
down  and  illustrated  in  the  Catechism  of  the  Church. 

The  Catechists  of  the  ancient  Church  "were  Ministers, 
usually  distinct  from  the  Bishops  and  Presbyters,  and  had 
their  Catechumena,  or  Auditories,  apart.  But  they  did  not 
constitute  any  distinct  order  of  the  Clergy,  being  chosen  out 
of  any  order.  The  Bishop  himself  sometimes  performed  this 
office  ;  at  other  times,  presbyters,  readers,  or  deacons.  Ori- 
gen  was  made  Catechist  at  Alexandria  when  only  18  years 
of  age,  and  consequently  incapable  of  the  deaconship." 

Catechumen.  In  the  ancient  Church,  this  designation 
was  given  to  those  converts  to  the  faith,  who  were  under  pre- 


CAT  99 

paration  for  baptism.  These  were  required  to  submit  to  a 
course  of  catechetical  instruction,  and  were  not  permitted  to 
be  present  at  the  administration  of  the  Communion.  In  the 
present  day,  the  term  is  applied  to  such  as  are  receiving  in- 
struction  in  the  Catechism,  whether  baptized  or  not. 

Cathedral.  A  Cathedral  is  the  principal  Church  in  a 
Diocese,  where  the  Bishop  presides,  and  has  the  seat  [^cathe- 
dra]  or  centre  of  his  authority. 

In  the  American  Episcopal  Church  there  are  no  Cathe- 
drals, the  Bisnop  being  free  to  accept  the  Rectorship  of  any 
Church  of  his  Diocese,  to  which  he  may  be  called,  or  to 
exercise  his  Episcopal  functions  without  any  special  paro- 
chial charge. 

Catholic.  Universal,  or  general.  The  term  is  employed 
in  the  designation  of  the  General  Epistles  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament.  Thus  the  Epistles  of  James,  Peter,  1st  John,  and 
that  of  Jude,  are  known  in  the  original  by 'the  title  of  Catholic 
Epistles,  though  the  distinctive  term  has  somewhat  unfortu- 
natcly  been  rendered  by  the  word  general ;  we  say,  unfortu- 
nately, because  thus  a  most  ancient  and  orthodox  term  has 
suffered  a  neglect,  little  apprehended  by  the  translators,  and 
from  which  a  tardy  recovery  is  all  that  can  be  hoped  for  or 
expected.  It  is  almost  superfluous  to  say,  that  these  epistles 
were  so  called,  from  the  circumstance  of  their  having  been 
written,  in  the  first  instance,  not  to  particular  Churches  or 
individuals,  but  with  a  more  direct  reference  to  the  Church  at 
large,  i.  e.,  to  the  catholic  or  universal  Church. 

The  epithet  Catholic  is  also  applied  to  the  Church  of  Christ 
"throughout  all  the  world."  There  is  scarcely  any  idea 
which  the  reading  of  the  New  Testament  forces  upon  us  with 
more  clearness,  than  that  of  the  oneness  of  the  Church  of 
Christ.  It  was  destined,  indeed,  to  plant  itself  in  all  nations  ; 
yet  not  in  the  form  of  so  many  independent  households,  but 
as  one  great  society,  the  various  divisions  and  members  of 
which  should  hold  the  closest  communion  with  each  other. 


100  CATHOLIC. 

It  was,  therefore,  one  universal  or  general  Church ;  and  the 
title  "  Catholic  "  became  the  ordinary  and  technical  designa- 
fion  by  which  it  was  known. 

The  term,  thus  used,  not  only  distinguished  the  Church 
from  the  world,  but  the  true  Church  from  the  heretical  and 
schismatical  parties  which  at  an  early  day  made  their  ap- 
pearance. Hence,  in  ecclesiastical  history,  catholic  is  equiv- 
alent to  orthodox,  and  soon  came  to  be  applied  to  the  indi- 
viduals composing  the  Church,  as  it  had  always  been  to  the 
Church  itself.  Christian  and  Catholic  were  thus  convertible 
terms,  and  a  departure  from  the  principles  of  catholicity,  was 
one  and  the  same  thing  with  a  declension  from  the  "  faith 
once  delivered  unto  the  saints.'' 

At  a  period  a  little  subsequent  to  the  Reformation, 
through  a  strange  forgetfulness  of  the  maxim,  ^^  ahusus 
non  tollit  usus,^^  the  term  Catholic  was  surrendered  by  many 
of  the  advocates  of  continental  principles,  with  a  rashness 
no  way  complimentary  either  to  the  coolness  of  their  heads, 
or  the  soundness  of  their  discrinaination.  The  same  prejudice 
made  its  appearance  also  in  the  ranks  of  dissent  in  England 
and  elsewhere,  and  has  passed  down  as  an  heirloom  to  their 
followers  of  the  present  day. 

In  the  Church  of  England,  on  the  contrary,  the  term  was 
never  given  up.  And  this  for  two  reasons :  1st,  Because  it 
was  ever  the  grand  distinguishing  title  of  the  Christian 
Church.  Almost  as  well  might  we  abandon  the  titles  of  the 
Redeemer  himself,  as  surrender  this  honored  designation  of 
the  Church — his  body.  What  if  the  name  had  for  long  ages 
been  claimed  and  appropriated  by  a  corrupt  branch  of  the 
Church?  In  an  equal  degree  had  the  legitimate  titles  of  a 
thousand  other  things  been  used  by  that  Church.  And  what 
then?  Would  any  thing  be  gained  by  substituting  "con- 
gregation" for  "church;"  or  "commonwealth"  for  "king- 
dom;" or  "Overseer"  for  "Bishop?"  The  true  policy 
would  have  been  the  retaining  most  tenaciously  the  proper 


CEM  101 

and  primitive  appellations  of  such  things,  and  the  restoring 
of  them,  by  degrees,  to  their  long  lost  dignity.  There  is 
something  in  a  name,  if  it  be  a  right  one  ;  and  here  the 
Church  showed  her  wisdom,  by  "choosing  the  good,  and  re- 
fusing the  evil."  But  2d,  The  name  was  retained,  because 
its  rejection  would  manifestly  have  argued  a  deficiency  in  the 
thing  sifTnified.  This  the  Romanists  well  knew,  and  a  fear- 
ful use  they  are  prepared  to  make  of  it.  "By  your  own 
confession,"  say  they,  "  you  are  riot  Catholic.  By  the  same, 
we  prove  that  you  unchurch  yourselves,  for  the  Church  is 
ESSENTIALLY  CATHOLIC."  Here,  then,  is  a  dilemma  from 
which  the  sectarian  may  escape  as  he  may  think  best.  But 
in  the  case  of  the  Churchman,  there  is  no  contest ;  for  he  con- 
tends, that  in  the  true  and  best  sense  of  the  word,  he  is  a 
Catholic :  not  a  Roman  Catholic,  but  such  a  Catholic  as  was 
Paul,  or  Peter,  or  John;  that  is  to  say,  a  member  of  Christ's 
Church,  which  is  described  as  "one,  holy,  catholic,  and 
apostolic." 

The  prejudice  against  the  title  is  therefore  absurd  to  the 
last  degree,  and  worthy  only  of  a  "dark  age"  when  men 
groped  for  the  light,  and  put  "bitter  for  sweet,  and  sweet  for 
bitter."  We  rejoice  that  the  day  is  dawning  when  the  Ro- 
manist shall  no  longer  taunt  the  Churchman  with  an  advantage 
sometimes  given  hJm,  (by  the  timidity  of  calling  things  by 
their  right  names,)  even  within  the  bounds  of  our  own  house- 
hold. An  Episcopalian  is  of  all  men  best  entitled  to  the  use 
of  the  term  in  question ;  but  if  he  reject  it,  how  can  he  avow 
his  consent  to  that  article  of  the  Creed,  "  I  believe  in  one 
Catholic  and  Apostolic  Church?"— how  can  he  pray  that  he 
may  finally  be  gathered  unto  his  fathers,  "  in  the  communion 
of  the  Catholic  Church?" 

Catholicity.  A  term  sometimes  used  to  express  the 
quality  of  being  Catholic. 

Cemetery.  A  place,  or  piece  of  ground,  for  the  burial  of 
the  dead.     See  Churchyard. 

9* 


102  CER 

Censure,  ecclesiastical.  The  judicial  sentence  of  the 
rulers  of  the  Church,  upon  those  who  have  been  convicted  of 
offences  within  the  cognizance  of  her  authority.  The  dis- 
cipline of  the  Church  extends  to  both  Clergy  and  Laity,  the 
former  of  whom  may  be  admonished,  suspended,  or  degraded 
from  office,  and  excommunicated,  according  to  the  nature  of 
the  offence  committed.  The  latter,  for  similar  causes,  may 
be  privately  admonished,  suspended  from  the  communion,  or 
finally  excommunicated. 

Century.  In  ecclesiastical  as  well  as  in  secular  history, 
it  is  customary  to  reckon  time  by  periods  of  one  hundred 
years,  i.  e.,  by  centuries.  The  Ciiristian  era  commences 
with  the  age  when  Christ  and  his  Apostles  were  on  earth,  and 
the  Church  received  its  present  organization.  This  period 
extends  down  to  the  year  100,  and  constitutes  the  first  century. 
From  this  will  be  understood  what  is  meant  by  the  frequent 
remark,  that  such  a  person  flourished,  or  event  transpired,  in 
the  fourth,  fifth,  sixth,  or  any  other  century,  down  to  the  pre- 
sent, viz.,  the  nineteenth  century. 

Ceremony.  In  religion,  an  external  act  or  assemblage  of 
acts,  designed  to  increase  the  solemnity  and  majesty  of  divine 
worship,  and  to  strengthen,  by  the  use  of  sensible  forms,  the 
reverential  feelings  of  the  soul,  in  the  performance  of  any 
sacred  office. 

The  necessity  of  ceremonies  in  the  greater  portion  of  re- 
ligious acts,  arises  from  two  simple  truths  ;  1st,  That  man  is  a 
compound  being,  consisting  of  soul  and  body ;  2d,  That  God 
demands  the  homage  of  our  whole  nature.,  i.  e.,  the  submis- 
sion of  the  soul,  and  the  discipline  and  consecration  of  the 
body.  If  man  were  a  purely  spiritual  being,  sensible  cere- 
monies would  be  superseded, — at  least,  such  as  we  are  here 
contemplating,  and  consequently  all  his  religious  acts  would 
be  of  a  correspondent  character — solely  and  simply  spiritual, 
without  reference  to  the  instrumentality  or  co-operation  of  an 
outward  nature.     But  man  is  not  such  a  being  ;  and  there- 


CEREMONY.  103 

fore  such  worship  is  not  all  that  God  requires  of  him.  The 
bodies  not  less  than  the  svuls  of  Christians,  are  "temples  of 
the  Holy  Ghost."  We  are  bound  to  present  our  bodies  aa 
"a  living  sacrifice,  holy,  acceptable  unto  God,"  and  this 
is  declared  to  be  "  a  reasonable  service."  *  Hence,  God  is 
to  be  honored  by  the  dedication  and  employment  of  both  con- 
stituents of  our  nature,  in  his  service.  And  in  consistency 
with  the  demand,  is  the  form  and  texture  of  the  religion  of 
the  Gospel.  That  religion,  by  the  very  fact  of  its  recognizing 
body  and  soul  as  God's,  and  prescribing  means  for  the  sanc- 
tification  and  religious  employment  of  both,  proves  itself  to 
have  proceeded  from  One  most  intimatel\^  acquainted  with  the 
constitution  of  our  nature,  even  from  its  actual  Author. 
There  is  a  perfect  parallel  between  the  two,  just  as  we  might 
have  predicted,  a  priori. 

Now  this  being  the  state  of  the  case,  it  is  folly  to  under- 
value the  external  acts  or  ceremonies  of  religion.  Mystics, 
both  ancient  and  modern,  have  attempted  a  species  of  con- 
templative worship,  independent  of  outward  acts  ;  but  this 
has  always  led  to  enthusiasm,  and  terminated  in  the  final 
evaporating  of  all  true  devotion.  And  why  ?  Because  it 
was  contrary  to  the  ordinance  of  God,  and  played  violence 
both  with  the  Gospel  and  with  the  unchangeable  constitution 
of  man. 

We  do  not  defend  the  ceremonial  of  religion  as  acceptable 
to  God  of  itself ;  for  the  homage  of  the  soul  is  that  to  which 
revelation  principally  looks.  Balance  the  value  of  an  im- 
mortal soul,  with  the  worth  of  a  corruptible  body,  and  the 
relative  importance  of  the  worship  rendered  by  each  will  be 
distinctly  seen.  There  is  an  immense  disproportion  between 
body  and  soul,  and  this  disproportion  will  be  the  exact  mea- 
sure  of  the  worship  rendered  by  them,  respectively.     Yet,  as 


♦  Romans,  xii.  1. 


104  CER 

God  is  the  sovereign  proprietor  and  Lord  of  both,  we  plead 
for  the  consecration  of  our  whole  nature  to  his  service.  On 
no  other  ground  would  we  advocate  an  act  of  external  wor- 
ship, but  as  it  stands  in  alliance  with  the  devotion  of  the  im- 
mortal spirit.  And  with  these  views,  the  wisdom  of  the 
Church,  in  her  appointed  ceremonies,  is  too  obvious  to  need 
comment.  The  ceremonial  and  the  spiritual  in  her  services, 
stand  in  an  exact  ratio  with  the  comparative  value  of  body 
and  soul.  She  is  guilty  neither  of  redundancy  nor  deficiency ; 
and  if  objection  be  made  to  the  external  parts  of  the  Church 
service,  we  pledge  ourselves  to  say,  that  these  will  be  wholly 
removed,  when  men  can  draw  near  without  bringing  with 
them  the  external  part  of  their  nature. 

Certifying  of  Baptism.  The  Sacrament  of  Baptism  is 
usually  administered  in  the  Church  ;  but  "  upon  great  cause 
and  necessity,"  such  as  sickness,  &c.,  it  is  allowed  that  chil- 
dren may  be  baptized  "  at  home  in  their  houses ;"  in  which 
case  only  a  part  of  the  form  is  generally  used.  But  it  is 
so  ordered,  that  if  the  child  should  live,  "  it  is  expedient  that 
it  be  brought  into  the  Church,"  to  the  intent  that  the  congre- 
gation may  be  certified  or  assured  by  the  Minister,  that  the 
child  was  properly  and  rightly  baptized  in  private.  The  re- 
mainder of  the  baptismal  service  is  then  used,  the  Minister 
having  first  said  : — 

"  I  CERTIFY  you,  that  according  to  the  due  and  prescribed 
Order  of  the  Church,  at  such  a  time,  and  at  such  a  place,  be- 
fore divers  witnesses,  I  baptized  this  child.^^ 

But  if  the  child  was  not  baptized  by  the  Minister  of  the 
parish,  but  by  some  other  lawful  Minister,  then,  instead  of  the 
above  form,  he  says  : — 

"  I  CERTIFY  you,  that  in  this  case,  all  is  well  done,  and  ac- 
cording  unto  due  order,  concerning  the  baptizing  of  this 
child,''''  &c. 

See  the  Order  for  Private  Baptism  of  Children,  in  the 
Prayer-book. 


cHA  i(;5 

Chalice.  In  the  Prayer-book  of  the  Church  of  England 
this  title  is  given  to  the  cup  which  is  used  at  the  holy  com- 
munion.  The  larger  vessel  in  which  the  wine  is  placed  on 
the  altar  is  called  the  Flagon,  and  from  this,  at  the  time 
of  communion,  it  is  poured  by  the  Bishop  or  Priest  into  the 
smaller  vessels,  called  chalices,  i.  e.,  the  cups,  to  be  delivered 
to  the  communicants. 

In  the  American  Prayer  book,  the  word  cup  is  used,  as 
being  more  generally  understood. 

Chance.  An  effect  resulting  from  an  unforeseen  cause, 
or  from  one  which  seems  accidental  or  fortuitous.  The 
term  is  frequently  used,  in  a  larger  sense,  in  reference  to  any 
event  which  with  probability  may,  or  already  has,  come  to 
pass.  Thus,  in  the  Introduction  to  the  English  Prayer  Book, 
we  read  that  the  Church  has  power  to  put  away  such  Cere- 
monies as  are  liable  to  great  abuse,  "  as  in  men's  Ordinances 
it  often  chanceih  diversly  in  divers  countries." 

In  one  of  the  Collects  appended  to  the  Commurion  office 
of  the  Church,  is  found  the  expression: — "Among  all  the 
changes  and  chances  of  this  mortal  life,"  It  has  been  ob- 
jected, that  to  the  Christian  who  believes  in  an  overruling 
Providence,  the  reference  of  any  event  to  chance  is  offensive, 
not  to  say  irreligious.  In  one  sense,  this  is  true;  in  another, 
false.  As  it  respects  the  Divine  Being,  nothing  falls  out  by 
chance;  as  it  respects  the  limited  comprehension  of  men, 
events  are  continually  occurring  whose  secret  causes  we 
cannot  discern  ;  and  these  are  chances  to  us,  though  not 
to  God.  The  framers  of  the  Prayer-book  made  use  of  popu- 
lar lano-uage, — language  well  understood  by  the  community 
in  general.  The  same  freedom  from  the  artificial  primness 
of  the  technologist,  prevails  also  in  the  authorized  transla- 
tion of  the  Bible;  and  the  force  of  the  term  in  question  will 
be  apprehended  by  a  reference  to  those  words  of  St  Paul, — 
"it  may  chance  of  wheat,"  &c.  ;  and  those  of  Christ,— "  by 
chance  there  came  down  a  certain  priest,"  &c.     See  also  2 


106  CHA 

Sam.  i.  6, — "  as  I  happened  by  chance  on  Mount  Gilboa."  We 
will  only  add  the  caution  of  a  wise  writer: — "A  man  majr 
dwell  upon  words  till  he  becomes  at  length  a  mere  precisian 
in  speech  ;  and  he  may  think  of  their  meaning  till  he  loses 
sight  of  all  meaning."* 

Chancel.  An  enclosure,  usually  at  the  upper  end  of  a 
Church,  containing  the  altar,  and  sometimes  the  desk,  the  floor 
being  raised  above  the  general  level,  and  the  whole  separated 
from  the  body  of  the  Church  by  an  intervening  r«,i7i?i^;  hence 
the  English  name  "Chancel,"  from  the  Latin  cancelli. 

The  Chancel  is  of  very  great  antiquity.  In  the  primitive 
Church,  it  was  held  so  sacred,  that  in  time  of  divine  service, 
the  laity  were  not  permitted  to  enter  it.  The  names,  also, 
by  which  it  was  designated,  were  in  accordance  with  this 
sentiment.  Among  these  were,  the  "  Sanctuary," — the 
"  Holy," — the  "  Inaccessible."  In  the  midst  of  this  stood  the 
altar,  at  a  sufficient  distance  from  the  wall  in  the  rear,  to  ad- 
mit a  tier  of  seats  for  the  Bishop  and  his  presbyters,  with  a 
space  between  them  and  the  back  of  the  altar.  On  one  side 
was  the  prothesis  or  side-table,  and  on  the  other  a  place  for 
the  Deacons. 

In  the  Churches  of  the  present  day,  chancels  are  variously 
constructed,  and  some  innovation  has  been  made  on  the 
primitive  model,  corresponding  with  the  change  of  circum- 
stances and  the  variations  of  opinion  in  the  less  important 
matters  of  taste  and  ecclesiastical  architecture.  The  grand 
design  of  the  Chancel  has,  however,  been  invariably  pre- 
served, viz:  the  location  in  it  of  the  altar,  or  communian- 
table.  In  addition  to  this,  the  font  for  baptism  is  now  usually 
placed  within  or  near  the  Chancel. 

As  a  general  rule,  the  customs  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  assign  the  Chancel  as  the  proper  place  for  the  per- 
formance of  the  sacramental  services,  while  the  desk  is  re- 

*  The  Doctor, 


CHANCEL.  107 

served  for  the  ordinary  prayers,  &c.,  and  the  pulpit  for  the 
delivery  of  sermons.  In  compliance  with  this  principle, 
baptism  is  administered  from  the  Chancel  ;  and  the  Commu- 
nion office,  whenever  used,  either  in  whole  or  in  part,  should 
obviously  be  read  from  the  same  place.  In  this  latter  parti- 
cular, some  diversity  of  practice  has  obtained  in  the  Church, 
grounded,  we  presume,  on  the  supposed  inconvenience  at- 
tending a  change  of  place  in  the  midst  of  the  services,  by  the 
officiating  minister.  An  objection  of  this  nature,  must  yield 
to  the  fact,  that  the  desk  is  not  the  appropriate  place  for  the 
reading  of  a  portion  of  a  sacramental  office,  however  it  may 
be  vindicated  on  the  ground  of  an  ambiguity  in  the  rubric  of 
the  American  Prayer-book.  The  same  rubric,  in  its  origi- 
nal shape,  is  explicit  in  requiring  the  Priest  to  stand,  (in  the 
ante  communion.)  "at  the  north  side  of  the  table  ;"  i.  e.,  in 
the  Chancel,  at  that  end  of  the  altar  which  fronted  the  north, 
when  the  head  of  the  Church  itself,  (according  to  ancient 
custom,)  was  towards  the  east.  The  rubric  to  which  we  al- 
lude is  immediately  before  the  beginning  of  the  Communion 
office ;  and  in  the  American  Prayer-book  leaves  it  somewhat 
optional  with  the  minister,  to  descend  to  the  Chancel  for  the 
ante-communion,  or  to  remain  in  the  desk.  But  another  ru- 
bric, standing  before  the  offertory,  assumes  that  the  minister 
must  have  read  the  former  part  of  the  office  at  the  altar ;  for 
it  states,  that  after  the  sermon,  "the  minister,  when  there  is 
a  Communion,  shall  return  to  the  Lord's  table  ;"  consequently 
he  must  have  been  there  before.  But  the  propriety  of  the 
custom  itself,  independently  of  all  legislation,  should  ensure 
for  the  ante-communion  the  presence  of  the  minister  in  that 
place,  where  he  would  certainly  appear,  if  he  were  about  to 
administer  the  Eucharist  from  the  beginning,  without  inter- 
ruption. The  custom  is  an  ancient  and  an  impressive  one; 
and  none  can  doubt,  on  reflection,  that  it  accords  far  more 
with  the  spirit  of  the  Church,  than  an  anomaly  almost  as  con- 


108  CHA 

trary  to  precedent  as  would  be  the  administration  of  baptism 
in  the  pulpit. 

Chant.  A  peculiar  kind  of  Church  music,  chiefly  em- 
ployed in  the  performance  of  prose  compositions,  and  charac- 
terized  by  the  reciting  of  a  large  portion  of  the  words,  to  a 
musical  tone. 

The  definition  here  given  is,  however,  more  applicable  to 
the  modern  than  to  the  ancient  chant ;  for  though  musical 
recitation  is  now  the  distinguishing  feature  of  the  chant,  it  is 
somewhat  questionable  whether  it  was  so  in  the  early  ages 
of  the  Church.  Many  of  the  Ambrosian  and  Gregorian, 
chants,  instead  of  allotting  a  plurality  of  syllables  and  words 
to  a  single  musical  note,  on  the  contrary,  allow  a  train  of 
notes,  sometimes  of  great  extent,  to  a  single  syllable.  It 
would  seem,  therefore,  that  originally  a  chant  was  simply  a 
tune  adapted  to  the  irregularities  of  a  prose  composition. 

The  modern  chant,  though  admitting  of  considerable  di- 
versity  in  its  structure,  is  a  compound  of  recitative  and  regu- 
lar musical  progression.  The  two  forms  now  in  ordinary, 
use,  are  known  as  the  single  and  the  double  chant,  or  more 
properly,  the  half  and  the  whole  chant.  The  single  chant 
has  two  members  or  divisions ;  the  first  containing  a  recitative 
and  two  bars  or  measures  of  notes ;  the  second,  a  recitative, 
with  three  similar  measures,  thus — 


^£ 


^lE^p 


The  double  chant  is  simply  a  composition  equal  in  length 
and  form  to  two  single  chants,  thus  giving  a  greater  scope 
and  interest  to  the  melody. 

The  first  bar  in  each  divisivm  is  called  the  Recitative,  and 
the  following  noles,  the  Cadence;  though,  strictly  speakings 
the  term  cadence  is  applicable  only  to  the  two  final  notes  in 
each  division. 


CHA  109 

Chaining  is  probably  the  most  ancient  form  of  Church 
music ;  and  when  compared  with  rhythmical  psalmody,  has 
every  advantage  on  the  score  of  beauty  and  expressiveness. 
It  gives  the  choir  an  opportunity  of  presenting  the  Psalms  of 
David,  and  other  portions  of  Scripture,  in  a  musical  dress, 
without  the  necessity  of  reducing  them  to  a  metrical  form. 
A  Psalm  of  twenty  or  thirty  verses  may  thus  be  chanted,  and 
the  sentiment  preserved  entire ;  whereas  in  common  psalm- 
ody,  a  few  verses,  sometimes  selected  from  a  whole  page, 
a«d  strung  together  ad  libitum,  are  all  that  can  be  performed 
in  any  reasonable  time.  A  more  general  use  of  chanting 
might,  also,  in  some  cases,  save  the  Church  from  the  inflic- 
tion of  occasional  verses  in  rhyme,  far  less  favorable  to  devo- 
tional feeling  than  the  same  sentiments  in  their  original  shape 
in  the  Psalter. 

Our  limits  will  not  permit  us  to  venture  further  on  the 
subject  of  chanting.  A  more  full  exposition  of  the  whole  mat- 
ter  in  detail,  the  writer  purposes  to  give  in  a  work  now  in 
preparation.     See  Alternate,  and  Antiphon. 

Chantry.  Chantries  were  small  buildings  originally  raised 
by  an  individual,  and  endowed  with  land  and  other  reve- 
nues, for  the  maintenance  of  one  or  more  priests  to  say  daily 
mass  for  the  souls  of  the  founder  and  his  relations,  or  other 
benefactors.  A  chantry  is  often  annexed  to  cathedral  and 
parochial  Churches,  either  within  the  walls,  or  attached  to 
the  exterior  of  the  building.* 

Chapel.  A  place  of  worship  differing  in  no  important 
respect  from  a  church,  except  in  the  relation  in  which  it 
stands  to  the  ecclesiastical  laws  or  regulations  of  the  Diocese 
and  parish  in  which  it  is  situated. 

In  the  Church  of  England  there  are  various  kinds  of 
chapels,  among  which  may  be  mentioned  such  as  were  an- 
ciently  built   contiguous   or  in    immediate   connection  with 


♦  Britton's  Arch.  Antiq. 
10 


tl<)  CUA 

cathedrals  and  the  larger  parish  churches,  in  honor  of  the 
saints,  or  for  depositories  of  the  dead.  Also  such  as  are 
connected  with  universities,  for  the  performance  of  the  cus- 
tomary services  of  the  Church.  Chapels  of  ease,  are  those 
which  are  erected  for  the  convenience  of  parishioners  living 
remote  from  the  parish  church,  for  whose  accommodation  a 
curate  is  provided,  while  one  rector  presides  over  both  the 
church  and  chapel.  Domestic  chapels  are  private  edifices 
erected  by  noblemen  and  others  on  their  estates,  for  the  con- 
venience of  their  families  and  dependants. 

In  the  United  States  the  term  is  similarly  used  for  private 
or  public  buildings  designed  for  religious  worship,  in  connec- 
tion with  universities,  colleges,  seminaries,  &c.  &c.  Chapels 
in  parishes  are  subject  to  the  Rector,  Wardens,  and  Vestry 
of  the  Church  to  which  they  belong,  and  may,  when  desira- 
ble, become  independent  churches,  with  their  own  separate 
organization. 

Chaplain.  A  Clergyman  who  performs  divine  service  in 
a  chapel.  The  title  is  now  given  in  the  Church  of  England 
to  those  also  who  are  retained  in  the  households  of  nobles, 
bishops,  judges,  &c.  ;  these  may  by  license  be  eligible  to 
a  benefice.  The  term  is  also  applied  to  Clergymen  in  the 
public  service  in  the  army  and  navy.  In  this  sense  it  is 
used  in  the  United  States,  and  extends  to  those  who  are 
temporarily  employed  during  the  session  of  Congress,  &c. 
and  to  officiate  on  occasions  of  national  or  state  festivals. 

Chapter.  In  England,  a  body  of  Clergy  belonging  to  a 
cathedral  church,  '•  consisting  of  prebendaries  and  canons, 
whereof  the  Dean  is  chief.  This  collegiate  company  is  meta- 
phorically termed  capitulum,  which  signifies  a  little  head  ;  it 
being  a  kind  of  head,  not  only  to  govern  the  Diocese  in  the 
vacation  of  the  bishopric,  but  also  to  advise  and  assist  the 
Bishop  in  matters  relating  to  the  Church,  for  the  better  or- 
dering and  disposing  of  the  things  thereof,  and  for  the  con- 
firmation of  such  leases  of  the  temporalities  and  offices  re- 


CHI  111 

latin^to  the  bishopric,  as  the  Bishop  from  time  to  time  shall 
happen  to  make."* 

The  place  in  which  their  assemblies  are  held,  is  denomi- 
nated the  *'  Chapter-house,"  and  the  body  itself  has  the  title 
*•  Dean  and  Chapter." 

Charge.  This  term  is  sometimes  used  for  a  church  or 
parish,  viewed  in  its  relation  to  the  Rector.  More  generally 
it  signifies  the  spiritual  care  of  a  Pastor  over  his  flock,  or  a 
Bishop  over  his  Diocese  ;  as  in  the  Prayer  for  the  Clergy 
and  people : — "  Send  down  upon  our  Bishops  and  other  Clergy, 
and  upon  the  congregations  committed  to  their  charge,  the 
healthful  spirit  of  thy  grace." 

A  "  Charge "  is  also  the  title  given  to  an  occasional  ad- 
dress from  a  Bishop  to  his  Clergy;  in  which  he  instructs, 
exhorts,  or  charges  them  on  some  matter  of  peculiar  import- 
ance, or  takes  occasion  to  dilate  on  the  general  obligations 
and  responsibilities  of  the  Ministerial  office.  A  Charge  is  ad- 
dressed to  the  Clergy ; — a  Pastoral  letter  principally  to  the 
people.  Canon  XXVII.  of  the  General  Convention  ordains, 
that  "  It  is  deemed  proper  that  every  Bishop  of  this  Church 
shall  deliver,  at  least  once  in  three  years,  a  Charge  to  the 
Clergy  of  his  Diocese,  unless  prevented  by  reasonable  cause." 

"Chief  Ministers."  Among  the  questions  proposed  to 
those  who  are  about  to  receive  ordination  as  Deacons  or 
Priests,  is  one  in  the  following  words :  "  Will  you  reverently 
obey  your  Bishop,  and  other  chief  Ministers,  who,  according 
to  the  Canons  of  the  Church,  may  have  the  charge  and 
government  over  you  ? "  In  the  Church  of  England,  the 
purport  of  the  words  Chief  Ministers  is  plain,  having  reference 
to  Archdeacons  and  others,  to  whom  a  certain  supervisory 
authority  is  committed,  which  the  other  Clergy  are  bound  to 
recognize  and  respect. 

In  the  American  Church,  where  Archdeacons  do  not  exist, 


Laws  relating  to  the  Clergy, 


112  CHO 

the  question  is  important,  Who  are  the  persons  referred  to 
as  "  other  chief  Ministers  "  besides  the  Bishop  ?  These,  who- 
ever they  may  be,  the  candidate  promises  to  obey,  "according 
to  the  Canons  of  the  Church."  In  the  case  of  Deacans,  the 
answer  is  easy.  By  the  very  nature  of  their  office,  they  are 
subordinate  to  the  Priest ;  and  this  is  apparent  in  the  enume- 
ration of  their  duties  in  the  Ordination  office.  The  17th 
General  Canon  also  requires  "  every  Deacon  "  to  be  subject 
to  the  regulation  of  the  Bishop,  or  "  if  there  be  no  Bishop, 
of  the  Clerical  memhers  of  the  Standing  Committee,"  &c., 
"  and  he  shall  officiate  in  such  places  as  the  Bishop  or  the 
said  Clerical  members  may  direct." 

As  it  respects  Priests,  the  order  of  the  Church  requires 
deference  to  be  paid  by  them,  in  any  official  transactions 
with  the  Standing  Committee.  Also  from  assistants  to  their 
principals  ;  from  Clergymen  under  presentment,  to  the  coun- 
cils appointed  to  try  them ;  and  in  all  other  cases  where,  for 
the  time  being,  certain  additional  powers  are  given  to  some, 
for  the  preservation  of  order  among  the  many.  To  these,  in 
that  spirit  of  courtesy  which  belongs  to  the  Church,  as  well 
as  in  regard  to  the  authority  vested  in  them,  the  title  of 
"Chief  Ministers"  is  given,  and  is  both  appropriate  and  re-- 
spectful. 

Chimere.  The  upper  robe  worn  by  a  Bishop,  to  which 
the  lawn  sleeves  are  generally  sewed.* 

Choir,  or  GIuire.  The  singers  who  conduct  the  music  of 
the  Church.  The  use  of  a  choir  is  to  guide  and  lead  the 
praises  of  the  sanctuary ;  and  for  this  purpose,  it  should  con- 
sist of  persons  who  are  familiar  with  sacred  music,  Avho  pos- 
sess good  voices,  correct  taste,  some  degree  of  confidence, 
combined  with  modesty  of  manner,  and  especially  that  seri- 
ousness of  mind  which  becomes  all  who  would  "  come  before 


♦  Wheatly. 


CHO  113 

God's  presence  with  thanksgiving,  and  show  themselves  glad 
in  him  with  psalms." 

The  true  design  of  a  choir  is  not  to  sing  instead  of  the 
congregation,  for  God  requires  praise  from  all  his  people ;  and 
it  would  not  be  more  absurd  for  the  congregation  to  leave  their 
praj-ers  to  the  Minister,  and  supplicate  by  proxy,  than  it  is  for 
them  to  give  up  their  praises  altogether  to  the  choir.  On  the 
contrary,  the  choir  should  lead  the  congregation  ;  and  every 
one  who  is  able  to  join  in  this  part  of  divine  worship,  should 
feel  it  a  duty  to  follow.  Were  this  done,  every  Church  would 
soon  become,  in  truth,  a  great  choir,  from  which  the 
anthem  of  joy  would  resound, — formality  would  cease,  and 
we,  and  all,  should  learn  ''heartily  to  rejoice  in  the  strength 
of  our  salvation." 

Choir.  In  a  Cathedral  or  other  Church,  that  part  of  the 
building  in  which  divine  service  is  performed,  or  the  portion 
included  between  the  chancel  and  the  nave.  Also,  that  part 
of  any  Church  which  is  occupied  by  the  organ  and  singers. 

Chorepiscopus.  In  early  periods  of  the  Church  this  name 
was  given  to  certain  country  Bishops  (as  the  term  signifies) 
who  were  distributed  in  the  regions  surrounding  the  chief 
cities,  where  the  governing  bishops  resided.  Some  consider- 
able difference  of  opinion  has  existed  relative  to  the  true 
ministerial  order  of  the  chorepiscopi,  some  contending  that 
they  were  mere  presbyters,  others  that  they  were  a  mixed 
body  of  presbyters  and  bishops,  and  a  third  class  that  they 
were  all  invested  with  the  authority  of  the  episcopal  office. 
That  the  latter  opinion,  however,  is  the  correct  one,  is  main- 
tained by  Bishop  Barlow,  Dr.  Hammond,  Beveridge,  Cave, 
and  other  eminent  divines  of  the  English  Church  ;  together 
with  Bingham,  in  his  Antiquities  of  the  Christian  Church. 
Their  origin  seems  to  have  arisen  from  a  desire  on  the  part  of 
the  city  or  Diocesan  Bishops,  to  supply  the  Churches  of  the 
neighboring  country  with  more  episcopal  services  than  they 
could  conveniently  render.    Some  of  the  best  qualified  pres- 

10* 


114  CHR 

b5rters  were  therefore  consecrated  bishops,  and  thus  em- 
powered to  act  in  the  stead  of  the  principal  bishop,  though  in 
strict  subordination  to  his  authority.  Hence  we  find  them 
ordaining  presbyters  and  deacons  under  the  Hcense  of  the 
city  bishop ;  and  confirmation  was  one  of  their  ordinary 
duties.  Letters  dimissory  were  also  given  to  the  country 
clergy  by  the  chorepiscopi,  and  they  had  the  privilege  of 
sitting  and  voting  in  synods  and  councils.  The  difference 
between  the  Chorepiscopus  and  what  was  at  a  later  period 
denominated  a  Suffragan,  is  scarcely  appreciable,  both  being 
under  the  jurisdiction  of  a  superior,  and  limited  to  the  exer- 
cise of  their  powers  within  certain  boundaries.  The  SufTra- 
gan  has  indeed  his  own  proper  diocese,  while  the  Chorepis- 
copus  acted  within  the  diocese  of  his  superior ;  but  this  and 
a  slight  difference  in  the  power  of  jurisdiction,  seem  to  be  all 
the  essential  points  of  distinction  between  the  two  offices. 
•  Chrism.  The  unction,  ointment,  or  consecrated  oil  for- 
merly used  in  confirmation,  and  (in  the  Romish  Church  still 
used)  in  other  religious  acts.  It  is  a  compound  of  Oil  of 
Olives  and  Balsam,  or  Balm  of  Gilead. 

Christen.  To  baptize.  The  word,  though  now  seldom 
used  in  the  American  Church,  except  in  local  districts,  is  re- 
tained in  the  rubrics  of  the  office  for  the  private  baptism  of 
children.  Its  derivation  is  probably  from  the  fact,  that  in 
baptism  the  child  is  made  a  member  of  Christ's  holy  Church, 
and  assumes  a  name  indicative  of  this,  called  his  Christian 
name.  Viewed  in  this  light,  the  term  is  highly  expressive  of 
the  effect  of  baptism,  in  the  regeneration  or  cumsTening  of 
those  who  receive  it. 

Christendom.  The  kingdom  of  Christ.  The  term  is 
generally  used  for  "  the  territories,  countries  or  regions  in- 
habited by  Christians,  or  those  who  profess  to  believe  in  the 
Christian  Religion."  *     There  is  also  an  obsolete  sense,  in 

*  Webster. 


CHR  115 

which  it  implies  the  Christian  rehgion  itself,  or  the  obHga- 
tions  connected  with  it,  as  in  the  following  quotation  from 
Wiclif.  "  When  man  is  baptized,  and  taketh  Christendom, 
then  is  the  name  of  Christ  put  in  his  soul."* 

Christmas  day.  The  festival  of  the  Nativity  of  Christ. 
This  feast  seems  to  have  originated  in  the  very  earliest  times 
of  Christianity,  and  to  have  always  been  reverentially  ob- 
served by  the  universal  Church. 

"  In  the  determination  of  the  precise  and  real  day,  anti- 
quity itself  hath  been  divided  as  well  as  modern  times  ;  but 
about  the  year  500,  the  twenty-fifth  of  December  became  the 
day  on  which  the  Church  generally  observed  this  festival." 

"  To  celebrate  no  day,  because  the  exact  day  cannot  be 
ascertained,  is  the  likeliest  way  to  bring  the  great  mystery  of 
our  Saviour's  incarnation  first  into  contempt,  and  then  into 
oblivion." 

"  And  even  if  we  are  mistaken  in  this  particular,  yet  the 
matter  of  the  error  being  of  no  greater  moment  than  the 
false  calculation  of  a  day,  it  will  certainly  be  very  pardon- 
able in  those  who  perform  the  services  of  the  festival  with  as 
much  piety  and  devotion  as  they  could  do,  if  they  certainly 
knew  the  time." 

"  The  words,  '  at  this  time,'  in  the  Collect  for  Christmas 
day,  need  not  be  so  rigidly  interpreted,  as  if  the  precise  time 
were  fixed  by  the  Church,  and  made  a  term  of  her  commu- 
nion. They  are  capable  of  being  understood  in  a  due  lati- 
tude, and  do  necessarily  imply  no  more,  than  that  we  com- 
memorate,  at  that  time,  the  blessing  of  our  Saviour's  birth 
and  incarnation.  In  which  sense  it  may  well  be  said,  that 
he  was  at  this  time  born.  And  surely  those  who  differ  about 
the  precise  time  of  his  birth,  may,  notwithstanding,  join  at 
once  in  the  observance  of  a  holy  festival,  set  apart  in  remem- 
brance of  it," 

*  Wiclifs  ''  Poor  Caitiff." 


116  CHU 

St.  Chrysostom.  John,  Patriarch  of  Constantinople,  one 
of  the  most  distinguished  of  the  Fathers.  His  eloquence 
gained  for  him  the  name  of  Chrysostom,  or  the  golden  mouthed, 
and  his  fame  as  a  preacher  and  divine  when  a  presbyter,  led 
to  his  promotion  to  the  bishopric  of  Constantinople  in  the 
year  393".  In  this  conspicuous  station,  his  boldness  and  con- 
stancy in  rebuking  the  vices  of  the  age,  raised  up  around 
him  many  bitter  enemies,  and  led  to  his  banishment.  But 
so  great  was  his  popularity,  that  a  tumult  ensued,  which  could 
not  be  appeased  otherwise  than  by  the  restoring  of  the  faith- 
ful Bishop.  Soon  after,  the  same  causes  resulted  in  his  second 
banishment,  from  which  he  never  returned,  having  died  amid 
the  severities  of  his  exile,  in  the  year  407,  aged  about  58. 

The  works  of  this  eloquent  Father,  which  are  still  extant, 
consist  principally  of  Homilies,  and  Commentaries  on  some 
of  the  Books  of  Scripture.  In  these  the  inexhaustible  trea- 
sures of  his  imagination,  the  fervor  of  a  devotional  spirit,  and 
the  wisdom  of  a  profound  mind,  are  freely  and  copiously 
poured  out. 

A  Collect  bearing  his  name  appears  in  the  Church  Liturgy. 
Respecting  this.  Palmer  observes,  "  Whether  it  be  as  old  as 
the  time  of  Basil  or  Chrysostom,  is  very  doubtful  to  me,  be- 
cause all  the  commencement  of  those  liturgies  which  bear 
their  names,  (except  the  lessons,)  appears  to  be  more  recent 
than  the  time  of  Chrysostom  ;  however,  this  prayer  has  cer. 
tainly  been  very  anciently  used  in  the  exarchate  of  Coesarea, 
and  the  patriarchate  of  Constantinople."* 

Church.  The  various  and  obvious  meanings  of  this  word, 
it  is  almost  unnecessary  here  to  enumerate.  It  may  be  ap- 
plied to  a  single  congregation  of  Christians,  as  the  Church  in 
any  city  or  village,  &c.  It  may  signify  the  Churches  col- 
lectively in  any  city  or  large  town,  as  the  Church  in  Constan- 
tinople,  London,  or  New-York.     Again,  it  may  stand  for  the 

»  Origines  Liturgicae,  I.  p.  250. 


CHURCH.  117 

whole  body  of  Christians  professing  the  same  creed,  as  the 
Greek  Church,  the  Romish  Church,  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  (fee.  Occasionally,  it  signifies  the  Clergy,  the  eccle- 
siastical government,  or  the  house  set  apart  for  divine  wor- 
ship. But  we  intend  here  to  consider  the  term  "  Church,"  as 
it  points  to  that  universal  company  of  men,  who  associate 
together  as  fellow-believers  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  are  baptized 
"  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost." 

The  first  aspect  in  which  the  Church  presents  itself  is  that 
of  a  regular  organized  society.  It  diflTers  essentially  from 
an  accidental  concourse  of  persons  professing  a  coincidence 
in  some  mere  matters  of  opinion,  by  containing  within  itself 
all  the  elements  of  which  a  definite  society  is  composed.  We 
recognise  in  it  officers  and  inferior  members.  We  observe  a 
well-arranged  system  of  government,  without  which  these 
officers  would  be  needless.  We  find  that  it  is  universal  or 
catholic,  having  the  world  for  its  theatre.  We  see  that  it 
possesses  a  Supreme  Head,  to  whom  all  are  subject — Jesus 
Christ,  the  great  Shepherd  and  Bishop  of  souls.  We  per- 
ceive its  unity  as  a  body  represented  in  Scripture  under  va, 
rious  symbols.  It  is  a  building  fitly  framed  ;  a  spiritual  house  ; 
a  city  of  the  living  God  ;  a  fold  under  one  Shepherd  ;  a  fam- 
ily under  the  care  of  a  Master  ;  a  body  composed  of  many 
members ;  a  kingdom  of  which  Christ  is  the  Sovereign. 

It  will  be  further  observed,  that  the  Church  is  an  outivard 
and  visible  society.  The  title  is,  in  Scripture,  constantly 
applied  to  a  society  of  this  character.  Thus  the  elders  of 
Ephesus  are  commanded  to  "  feed  the  Church."  Paul  and 
Barnabas  are  led  on  their  way  by  ihe  Church.  Grievances 
are  to  be  laid  before  the  Church,  and  throughout  the  New 
Testament  the  visible  character  of  the  Church  is  acknow- 
ledged. More  than  this,  its  original  constitutio7i  was  outward. 
Its  officers  are  outwardly  recognized.  Its  sacraments  are 
outwardly  received  ;  so  that  "  those  who  deny  that  the 
Church  is  visible,  are  compelled  to  deny  that  it  is  a  society 


118  CHURCH. 

at  all.''^  Christ  preached  publicly, — the  disciples  followed  him 
publicly, — the  Apostles  baptized  publicly, — the  early  Chris- 
tians assembled  and  united  in  the  visible  breaking  of  bread; 
and  in  the  words  of  Archbishop  Potter,  "  an  instance  cannot 
be  produced  of  any  Christian  Church  throughout  the  whole 
world,  where  the  sacraments  were  not  administered,  the  gospel 
preached,  and  the  worship  of  God  celebrated  in  an  open  and 
public  manner.  Even  in  the  sharpest  persecutions,  the  Chris- 
tian assemblies,  though  (it  may  be)  not  so  openly  as  in  times 
of  peace,  were  constantly  held,  and  frequented  :  so  little  had 
the  notion  of  an  invisible  Church  prevailed  in  those  early 
ages."  Such  then  is  the  first  aspect  of  the  Church  of  Christ. 
But  here  arises  an  important  question.  We  see  around  us 
a  diversity  of  organizations,  all  claiming  to  belong  to  this 
Church  of  Christ.  There  are  Roman  Catholics,  Protest- 
ant Episcopalians,  Methodists,  Presbyterians,  Baptists,  Mo- 
ravians, Lutherans,  Q,uakers,  Covenanters,  Scceders,  Soci- 
nians,  and  a  catalogue  of  others,  with  endless  subdivisions, 
which  no  ordinary  patience  would  venture  to  recount.  Now 
while  each  of  these  stands  opposed  in  many  particulars  to 
the  others,  can  it  be  possible  that  they  all  possess  the  elements 
of  a  true  Church?  Shall  we  say  that  Christ  is  divided? 
That  he  has  not  one,  but  7nany  bodies?  That  there  are 
countless  Lords,  countless  faiths,  and  countless  baptisms  ?  We 
are  not  unaware  of  the  plea,  that  though  there  may  be  dif- 
ferences in  non  essentials,  yet  various  parties  may  at  the  same 
time  be  component  parts  of  the  one  true  Church.  And  this 
we  grant,  provided  these  differences  extend  no  further  than 
non-essential  points.  But  this  we  deny  to  be  the  case,  for 
many  of  these  are  at  variance  concerning  points  which  enter 
into  the  very  essence  of  the  Church.  Let  it  be  remembered, 
that  wc  are  here  upon  the  question  of  the  outward  and  visible 
Church,  that  which  is  dwelt  upon  by  the  New  Testament 
writers  as  a  divine  organization  ;  in  other  words,  the  character 
and  description  of  tliat  society  to  which  Christ  and  his  Apos- 


CtttTRCH.  119 

ties  applied  the  term  "  Church."  Of  this  Church  then,  which 
is  styled  "  Holy,  Catholic,  and  Apostolic,"  we  have  the  foU 
lowing  definition  in  Article  XIX. 

"  The  visible  Church  of  Christ  is  a  Congregation  of  faithful 
men,  in  the  which  the  pure  Word  of  God  is  preached,  and 
the  Sacraments  be  duly  ministered  according  to  Christ's 
Ordinance,  in  all  those  things  that  of  necessity  are  requisite 
to  the  same." 

A  definition,  more  ample,  but  to  the  same  effect,  is  thus 
given,  in  the  short  catechism  of  Edward  VI.,  1552  : — "  That 
congregation  is  nothing  else  but  a  certain  multitude  of  men ; 
which,  wheresoever  they  are,  profess  the  pure  and  upright 
learning  of  Christ,  and  that  in  such  sort  as  it  is  faithfully  set 
forth  in  the  Holy  Testament,  by  the  Evangelists  and  Apos- 
tles ;  which  in  all  points  are  governed  and  ruled  by  the  laws 
and  statutes  of  their  King  and  High  Bishop,  Christ,  in  the 
bond  of  charity ;  which  use  his  holy  mysteries,  that  are 
commonly  called  Sacraments,  with  such  pureness  and  sim- 
plicity, as  touching  their  nature  and  substance,  as  the  Apos- 
tles of  Christ  used,  and  left  behind  in  writing." 

Where,  then,  shall  we  find  this  Church  ?  Let  us  undertake 
the  search. 

The  Church  of  the  New  Testament  was  an  organized  body, 
established  in  the  world  by  the  Son  of  God,  and  by  men 
acting  under  divine  inspiration.  In  this  Church  were  two 
remarkable  constituents,  on  the  union  of  which  its  vitality 
depended.  These  were  its  faith  and  its  officers,  both  of  them 
the  results  of  divine  agency.  Almost  without  a  figure,  the 
FAITH  may  be  called  the  soul,  and  the  ministry  the  body  of 
the  Church.  We  shall  therefore  take  these  as  the  fair  and 
legitimate  tests  of  the  Church  in  the  present  day,  inasmuch 
as  they  were  destined  to  continue,  to  the  world's  end,  to  be 
the  distinctive  traits  of  the  Church. 

We  are  not  forgetful  that  other  tests  of  the  true  Church 
have  been  given,  such  as  its  unity,  its  apostolicity,  the  valid 


120  CHURCH. 

administration  of  the  Sacraments,  and  its  holiness  ;  but  all 
these  being  simply  consequences  or  accessories  of  its  divine 
Faith,  and  divine  Order,  we  are  not  so  much  concerned  about 
them,  if  we  can  discover  the  two  grand  characteristics  from 
which  they  take  their  rise. 

First,  then,  of  the  Faith  of  the  Church.  This  is  given  at 
large  in  Holy  Scripture,  that  sacred  deposite  which  the 
Church  has  ever  held  inviolate. 

The  Christian  faith  is  not  only  in  its  very  nature  one, 
but  was  so  held  universally  in  the  primitive  Church.  But, 
for  the  detection  of  heresies,  and  the  preservation  of  the 
Church  from  them,  the  leading  doctrines  of  Christianity  were 
early  embodied  in  the  form  or  index  called  the  Apostles' 
Creed ;  and  this,  or  a  concise  form,  holding  forth  the  same 
principles,  was  probably  used  by  the  Apostles  themselves, 
on  the  admission  of  members  into  the  Church.  In  the  Creed 
were  embraced  those  important  topics  on  which  heresies 
were  most  likely  to  arise  ;  and  hence  it  was  universally  used 
as  a  summary  of  the  gospel,  and  an  authoritative  rule  of  the 
faith  of  Scripture.  This,  to  render  it  more  effectual  still 
against  the  intrusion  of  heresy,  and  an  impregnable  safe- 
guard  of  apostolic  orthodoxy,  was  reviewed  at  the  council  of 
Nice,  and  set  forth,  not  as  a  new  system  of  faith,  but  as  a 
declaration  of  the  doctrine  which,  from  the  Apostles'  days, 
had  been  held  by  the  Catholic  Church.  Wherever,  then,  we 
find  the  word  of  God  received  in  this  primitive  and  orthodox 
sense,  we  have,  so  far,  a  sure  testimony  of  the  existence  of 
the  Church. 

Let  it  not  be  objected,  that  we  are  here  setting  Creeds  in 
the  place  of  Scripture.  This  is  a  false  view  of  the  case. 
«  The  Bible,"  says,  Cecil, "  is  the  meaning  of  the  Bible."  The 
Christian  faith  is  not  that  interpretation  which  every  man  may 
choose  to  put  on  the  words  of  Scripture,  for  then  would 
there  be  ten  thousand  faiths,  instead  of  one,  and  all  certainty 
respecting  truth  would  be  lost ;  but  it  is  that  interpretation  or 


CHURCH.  121 

view  of  Christian  doctrine,  which  has  existed  from  the  Apos- 
ties'  times,  certified  by  the  consent  of  the  Church  universal 
in  every  age,  and  ratified  by  the  decisions  of  General  Coun- 
cils. The  Creeds,  therefore,  do  not  usurp  the  place  of  Scrip- 
ture, their  main  object  being  to  declare,  in  a  brief  summary, 
and  in  the  clearest  form,  what  are  the  essential  and  leading 
characteristics  of  the  Christian  faith. 

In  applying  this  test  to  the  various  divisions  of  the  Chris- 
tian world,  we  find  it  met  by  the  consent  of  all,  or  nearly  all, 
of  those  existing  Churches  which  inherit  the  apostolical  suc- 
cession. The  Apostles'  Creed  is  also  received  in  its  ortho- 
dox sense,  by  a  large  proportion  of  those  religious  societies 
which  have  sprung  up  since  the  Reformation  ;  consequently, 
to  this  extent,  they  bear  one  of  the  marks  of  the  true  Church 
of  Christ. 

But  the  possession  of  the  true  faith  atone,  is  not  enough  to 
constitute  the  Church,  though  there  can  be  no  true  Church 
without  it.  Hence  we  are  led  to  consider  the  second  mark 
proposed.  This  was  the  divinely  established  Order  of  the 
Church.  By  this,  we  understand,  chiefly,  the  existence  of  a 
body  of  men,  possessing  authority  by  direct  transmission 
from  the  Apostles,  to  govern,  to  instruct,  and  to  dispense  the 
means  of  grace  to  those  composing  the  Church. 

This  authority,  without  which  no  man  has  a  right  to  as- 
sume any  rank  above  that  of  a  layman,  was  originally  com- 
mitted  to  three  distinct  classes  of  men,  called  in  the  New 
Testament,—!.  Aposdes ;  2.  Bishops,  Presbyters,  or  El- 
ders ;  3.  Deacons  :  but  now  known  as, — 1.  Bishops  ;  2.  Pres- 
byters,  or  Elders;  3.  Deacons.— -(See  Bishop.)  To  the 
hio-hest  order  alone  was  given  the  power  of  transmitting  au- 
thority to  minister  in  sacred  things,  commonly  called  the 
power  of  ordination. 

Now,  it  must  be  evident,  that  if  Christ  had  not  at  first 
commissioned  a  race  of  ministers  or  ambassadors  to  act  in 
his  name,  the  Church  must,  to  the  present  day,  have  been 

11 


VZ^  cinTRCs. 

without  them :  for  no  possible  combination  of  men  could 
have  constituted  a  body  of  Apostles,  with  authority  to  rule 
the  Church  of  God,  and  much  less  with  any  shadow  of  right 
to  administer  Sacraments,  &c.  And  if  a  divine  commission 
was  absolutely  necessary  in  the  first  race  of  Ministers,  it  must 
be  equally  necessary  for  all  their  successors ;  inasmuch  as 
the  same  duties  are  to  be  performed  by  them.  This  was 
foreseen  by  the  great  Head  of  the  Church  ;  and  therefore 
provision  was  made,  that  in  the  highest  rank  of  the  ministry, 
a  power  should  be  lodged  of  perpetuating  to  all  ages  the  sa- 
cred office,  and  thus  insuring  to  the  Church  a  continual  suc- 
cession of  Pastors,  bearing  the  same  legal  authority  under 
which  the  Apostles  and  their  fellow-laborers  acted. 

This  Ministry,  thus  transmitted  by  an  unbroken  chain  of 
Apostles  and  Bishops,  from  the  very  time  of  Christ's  ascen- 
sion, now  exists  ;  and  it  is  evident  that,  exclusively  of  this,  no 
man  can  establish  a  claim  to  a  rank  in  the  Church,  superior 
to  that  of  a  layman,  unless  he  can  prove,  by  actual  miracle, 
his  investiture  with  the  sacred  office. 

Where,  then,  do  we  find  this  Apostolic  Order  ?  The  an- 
swer is, — In  those  existing  religious  bodies  which  have  de- 
scended from  the  primitive  Church.  In  all  these,  without 
exception,  an  Episcopal  Ministry  exists,  in  the  three  orders 
of  Bishops,  Priests,  and  Dea^.ons  ;  and  these  unanimously 
refer  their  authority  to  a  regular  transmission  from  the  Apos- 
ties,  by  succession. 

In  a  large  proportion  of  those  societies  to  which  the  Re- 
formation, and  other  subsequent  events,  have  given  rise,  this 
important  mark  of  the  "  visible  Church  of  Christ "  fails  alto- 
gether ;  their  Ministry  being  either  confessedly  grounded  on 
human  appointment,  or  flowing  from  ordinations  by  Presby- 
ters, to  whom,  (if  the  New  Testament  be  true,)  the  power  of 
perpetuating  the  Ministry  was  never  committed. 

We  may  here  remark,  that  the  preservation  of.  the  true 
ministerial  Order  is  not  of  itself  sufficient  to  constitute  the 


CHURCH.  123 

Church.  T  his  will  be  evident  from  the  fact,  that  all  the 
heretical  sects  of  the  ancient  Church,  had  the  Apostolic  Min- 
istry, while  they  were  deficient  in  the  Faith  of  the  Church, 
and  were  therefore  rejected  from  its  conmi union.  The 
Arians,  the  Donatists,  the  Novations,  &c.  &c.,  were  all  Epis- 
copal  in  their  Ministry,  and  in  this  respect  differed  nothing 
from  tlie  orthodox  Catholic  Church.  Their  grand  error  lay 
in  the  want  of  that  union  of  Order  and  Faith,  which  are  es- 
sential to  the  being  of  the  Church. 

The  first  deduction  from  the  above  is,  that  there  are  now 
in  existence  at  least  two  classes  of  religious  bodies, — those 
wliich  exhibit  only  one  mark  of  the  Church,  and  those  which 
retain  hoth.  In  the  latter  class,  stands  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal  Church,  with  its  undoubted  inheritance  of  the  Gospel 
Ministry,  by  direct  succession  from  the  Apostles,  and  its  pos- 
session  of  the  Gospel  Faith,  as  proved  by  its  reception  of  the 
Holy  Scriptures,  and  those  summaries  of  Scripture  doctrine, 
the  Apostles'  and  Nicene  Creeds.  Therefore,  we  argue, 
she  is  a  true  branch  of  the  One,  Holy,  Catholic,  and  Aposr 
tolic  Church. 

The  bearing  of  these  principles  on  other  organizations,  it 
is  not  our  object  here  to  discuss.  But  it  is  a  weighty  and 
solemn  question,  and  one  which  every  Christian  man  is 
bound  to  propose  to  his  conscience.  Whether  he  is  numbered 
in  a  Church  resting  on  a  divine  foundation,  and  exhibiting  on 
its  fore-front  the  credentials  of  the  Church  of  the  living 
God  ?  The  spirit  of  the  present  age  has  given  currency  to 
the  impression,  that  a  Church  is  a  voluntary  combination  of 
individuals,  which,  if  secure  in  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel, 
may  erect  a  ministry,  without  regard  to  its  Apostolical  deri- 
vation. But  what  if  men  were  reminded,  that  it  would  be  as 
easy  for  them  to  create  a  world  as  to  found  a  Church  ?  Yet 
so  it  is.  Divine  power  was  called  forth  in  the  establishment 
of  both  the  Faith  and  the  Order  of  the  Church  ;  and  if  men 
would  shudder  at  the  thought  of  avowedly  creating  new  doC'> 


124  CHu 

trine,  so  should  they  tremble  at  any  attempt  to  innovate  on 
the  Order  of  God's  Church.  Heresy  is  an  offence  against 
the  one,  and  schism  a  breach  of  the  other ;  and  of  the  hein- 
ousness  of  these  crimes,  let  the  Apostles  be  the  judges,  and 
the  consciences  of  men.  If,  in  the  view  of  all  men,  a  Church 
stands  forth,  bearing  the  sure  credentials  of  her  truth,  and  of 
her  rightful  authority,  it  is  no  trifling  peril  to  refuse  commu- 
nion with  her  ;  and  to  proceed  further,  by  erecting  independ- 
ent organizations,  manifestly  defective  in  at  least  one  grand 
constituent  of  the  Church,  (not  to  say  in  open  hostility  to  it,) 
is  to  venture  on  an  enterprise,  the  defence  of  which  at  God's 
bar,  we  should  fear  to  trust,  unless  we  could  plead,  in  the 
sincerity  of  our  souls,  invincible  ignorance. 

Church  ebifice.  A  building  set  apart  and  consecrated 
for  the  worship  of  God  ;  more  properly  and  usually  called 
a  Church,  without  the  a'ddition  of  "  edifice,"  which  is  always 
understood. 

Church  government.  The  mode  in  which  the  Church  is 
ruled  and  governed,  by  those  who  have  lawful  authority  in  it. 
Church  Government  is  not  to  be  confounded  with  the  Ministry 
of  the  Church,  though  the  mistake  is  not  an  unfrequent  one. 
There  may  be  many  Churches  having  the  same  form  of  Mm- 
istry,  and  yet,  in  all  these  the  government  may  be  very  differ- 
ent. For  example  :  the  Church  of  England,  the  Greek 
Church,  and  the  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States,  have 
all  the  same  kind  of  a  Ministry;  viz.,  of  Bishops,  Priests^ 
and  Deacons  ;  but  yet,  the  government,  or  the  manner  in 
which  these  rule  their  Churches,  and  the  laws  or  canons  by 
which  they  act,  are  in  many  things  widely  different ;  so  that 
it  is  important  always  to  remember  this  distinction,  for  the 
want  of  which,  many  have  arrayed  themselves  against  the 
government  of  our  Church,  when,  in  truth,  their  objections  lay 
against  the  Ministry,  or  the  fact  of  our  having  Bisk&ps,  Priests, 
and  Deacons,  which  is  quite  another  matter.  And  in  like 
manner  some  have  objected  to  the  Ministry  of  the  Churoht 


CHTJ  125 

when,  in  fact,  their  allegations  referred  to  some  points  in  our 
government,  or  in  the  regulations  and  Canons  by  which  the 
Church  is  ruled. 

It  should  not  be  forgotten,  that  for  our  Church  Govern- 
MENT  we  do  not  claim  divine  authority,  it  being  a  matter 
which  the  Church  has  power  to  devise  and  establish,  and  to 
vary  in  different  countries,  according  to  circumstances.  But 
the  Ministry  incontestahly  rests  on  divine  authority,  and 
therefore  cannot  be  changed  by  the  Church,  but  is  the  same 
every  where,  and  at  all  times,  and  must  so  continue,  imless 
modified  by  the  same  divine  power  which  originally  insti? 
tuted  it. 

Churching  of  women.  A  service  appointed  in  the 
Prayer-book,  to  be  performed  when  a  woman  desires  to  re- 
turn thanks  to  God  for  her  safe  delivery  in  child-bed.  It  was 
a  pious  and  ancient  custom  for  Christians  always  to  appear 
before  God  after  a  recovery  from  dangerous  sickness,  to 
thank  and  praise  him  for  his  goodness  in  restoring  them  to 
health.  And  this  was  especially  becoming,  after  deliverance 
from  "the  great  peril  and  danger  of  child-birth."  As  this 
thanksgiving  was  usually  offered  on  the  woman's  first  appear- 
ance at  Church  after  her  sickness,  the  probability  is  that  it 
hence  derived  the  name  of  Churching,  indicating  her  return 
again  to  the  privileges  and  worship  of  God's  holy  temple. 
This  service  is  now  not  frequently  used,  one  of  the  occasional 
thanksgivings  being  generally  substituted,  viz.,  that  entitled 
<'  The  thanksgiving  of  Women  after  childbirth  ;  to  he  said 
when  any  woman,  being  present  in  Church,  shall  have  desired 
to  return  thanks  to  Almighty  God  for  her  safe  deliverance.'" 

Churchman.  This  term,  though  originally  applied  to  the 
Clergy,  is  now  used  in  a  less  restricted  sense,  for  any  one 
who  approves  and  believes  the  doctrines  of  the  Church,  who 
is  attached  to  her  solemn  services,  partakes  of  her  sacra- 
ments, submits  to  her  godly  discipline,  and  respects  her  wise 

and  venerable  usages. 

11* 


126  CHir 

The  name  of  Churchman  is  seldom  given  in  popular  dis* 
course,  to  any  others  than  Episcopalians,  though  from  its  ob- 
vious import  it  ought  to  be  the  valued  title  of  every  professing 
Christian.  We  read  in  the  New  Testament,  that  when  the 
Apostles,  by  preaching  the  gospel,  converted  many  Jews  and 
Gentiles,  they  immediately  added  them  to  the  Church,  as  our 
blessed  Redeemer  had  commanded,  and  thus,  all  these  con* 
verts  became,  in  the  true  and  proper  sense  of  the  term, 
Churchmen,  and  were  "  obedient  to  the  faith/'  and  to  those 
who  "had  the  rule  over  them."  Since  the  days  of  the  Apos- 
tles, hundreds  of  years  have  gone  by,  yet  the  same  Church 
continues  which  they  established,  the  same  Ministry  exists, 
the  same  gospel  is  preached,  the  same  sacraments  are  ad- 
ministered. The  lapse  of  time  only  proves  the  immortality 
of  the  Church,  which  was  built  on  the  A  postles  and  Prophets. 
The  same  relation  also  continues  between  the  body  and  the 
members  composing  it.  And  if  any  other  designation  than 
that  of  Christian  be  required,  none  can  be  more  happy  and 
more  thoroughly  descriptive  of  one  who  professes  adherence 
to  this  Church,  and  receives  what  she  teaches  in  agreement 
with  Holy  Scripture,  than  the  familiar  title  of  Churchman. 

Church-wardens.  Certain  lay  officers  of  the  ecclesi- 
astical affairs  of  a  parish.  These  officers  were  instituted  to 
protect  the  edifice  of  the  Church  ;  to  superintend  the  cere- 
monies of  public  worship  ;  to  promote  the  observance  of  re- 
ligious duties  ;  to  form  and  execute  parochial  regulations  ; 
and  to  become,  as  occasion  may  require,  the  legal  represent- 
atives of  the  body  of  the  parish.* 

The  Church-wardens,  with  the  Vestrymen,  are  chosen  an^ 
nually  in  Easter  week,  according  to  the  customs  or  Canons 
of  the  various  Dioceses. 

The  General  Canons  of  the  Church  do  not  prescribe  the 
duties   of  these  officers,  this  being  left  to  Diocesan  reo-ula- 


♦  Laws  Relating  to  the  Clergy. 


CLE  127 

tion,  and  that  common  understanding  of  the  nature  and  lim- 
its  of  their  powers,  which  time  has  handed  down.  Though 
there  is  no  distinct  enumeration  of  their  duties  in  the  general 
laws  of  the  Church,  yet,  the  most  important  of  these  may  be 
gleaned  from  the  Rubrics  and  the  Diocesan  Canons,  to  which 
we  refer  the  reader. 

Church-yard.  The  place  where  the  dead  are  buried,  so 
called,  because  in  former  times  the  place  of  burial  was  al- 
most  always  in  the  yard  or  grounds  about  the  Church,  or  at 
least,  in  some  of  the  lands  belonging  to  the  Church. 

Circumcision.  A  Jewish  rite,  by  which  children  at  the 
age  of  eight  days,  were  admitted  members  of  the  Church.  It 
was  also  practised  on  adults,  and  answered  nearly  the  same 
purpose  with  baptism  in  the  Christian  Church,  except  in  the 
extent  of  spiritual  blessings  annexed  to  it. 

Circumcision  of  Christ.  This  feast  is-  celebrated  by  the 
Church,  to  commemorate  the  active  obedience  of  Jesus 
Christ,  in  fulfilling  all  righteousness,  which  is  one  branch  of 
the  meritorious  cause  of  our  redemption  ;  and  by  that  means 
abrogating  the  severe  injunctions  of  the  Mosaical  establish- 
ment, and  putting  us  under  the  grace  of  the  Gospel. 

The  institution  of  this  feast  is  of  very  considerable  anti- 
quity. In  the  sixth  century  a  special  and  appropriate  service 
for  it  was  in  use.  It  sometimes  took  the  name  of  the  "  Oc- 
tave of  Christmas,"  or  the  eighth  day  from  that  festival. 

If  this  festival  be  considered  merely  as  the  commemora- 
tion of  the  circumcision  of  our  Lord,  its  institution,  or  at 
least  its  revival,  commenced  with  our  Reformation,  or  on  the 
publication  of  our  English  Liturgy,  and  was  first  observed  on 
January  1,  1549-50. 

Clergy.  A  title  by  which  the  Ministers  of  the  Church  are 
distinguished  from  the  Laity.     See  Clerk. 

The  designation  was  frequently  given,  in  the  ancient  Church, 
to  the  inferior  orders,  (which  See,)  perhaps  more  frequently 
than  to  those  who  possessed  the  true  ministerial  office.     The 


1^8 


CLE 


first  Apostolic  Canon  runs  in  these  words,  viz.,  "  Let  a  Bishop 
be  ordained  by  two  or  three  Bishops,  a  Priest  by  one  Bishop, 
and  so  likewise  a  Deacon,  and  any  other  Clergyman."  Here 
the  inferior  orders  are  alluded  to  as  embraced  under  the 
term  Clergy. 

At  a  later  period,  it  became  customary  to  designate  Bish- 
ops and  Priests,  and  perhaps  Deacons,*  as  '  Ispwrixoi,  (those 
of  the  Priesthood,)  while  Sub-deacons,  Readers,  &c.,  were 
called  (KXripixoi,  (Clergy.)  Thus,  in  the  27th  Canon  of  Lao- 
dicea,  it  is  said,  "  That  neither  those  of  the  Priesthood, 
('Isparixoi,)  nor  the  Clergy,  (KX'/]pj)coi,)  nor  of  the  Laity,  ought," 
<Sz;c.  The  30th  Canon  of  the  same  Council  uses  the  same 
terras,  as  also  the  36th,  54th,  and  55th. 

At  a  still  later  date,  when  the  order  of  the  Ministry  was 
restored  to  its  scriptural  triple  form,  and  divested  of  the  in- 
cumbrance of  inferior  degrees,  resting  only  on  human  author, 
ity,  the  term  came  to  be  restricted  to  Bishops,  Priests,  and 
Deacons,  and  in  that  sense  alone  it  is  now  used  in  the 
Church. 

The  Clergy  were  formerly  divided  into  regular  and 
secular :  the  regular  were  such  as  lived  under  certain  rules, 
as  all  abbots,  priors,  monks,  &c. ;  the  secular  were  those  who 
did  not  live  under  any  certain  rules  of  any  religious  order, 
as  bishops,  deans,  parsons,  &c.  But  now  the  word  Clergy 
comprehends  all  persons  in  holy  orders,  and  in  ecclesiastical 
offices. f 

Clergyman.  Any  Minister  of  the  Church  of  Christ, 
whether  a  bishop,  priest,  or  deacon. 

Clerical.     Relating  or  pertaining  to  the  Clergy. 

Clerical  garments.  The  dresses  or  robes  which  are 
worn  by  Ministers  when  performing  the  service  of  the 
Church. 


*  Johnson  on  the  Canonical  Codes. 
t  Laws  Relating  to  the  Clergy, 


CLERICAL  GARMENTS.  129 

Of  these,  the  following  kinds  are  used  in  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States : — 

1.  The  Bishop's  roles,  usually  of  lawn,  fine  linen,  and 
black  satin.  These  are  sometimes  denominated  the  "  Epis- 
copal Habit." 

2.  The  Surplice,  a  plain  white  linen  garment,  worn  at  the 
reading  of  divine  service,  the  administration  of  baptism,  and 
the  Holy  Communion,  and  frequently  at  marriages  and  fu. 
nerals,  when  they  take  place  in  the  Church.  A  black  silk 
scarf  is  generally  worn  with  the  surplice,  reaching  from  the 
neck  or  shoulders  to  the  feet. 

3.  The  Gown,  a  black  robe  with  or  without  sleeves,  chiefly 
used  by  the  Minister  while  preaching  or  lecturing.  This  is 
properly  a  University  or  College  garment,  but  is  now  adopted 
by  the  Church. 

4.  The  Cassock,  a  black  cloth  or  silk  garment  resembling 
a  long  frock-coat,  made  wide  in  front,  to  cover  over  the  breast, 
and  button  down  the  side.  A  silk  girdle  or  sash,  (technically 
called  a  "  surcingle,")  tied  about  the  waist,  is  usually  worn 
with  the  cassock,  and  the  black  gown  or  the  surplice  is  put 
on  over  the  whole. 

5.  The  Bands,  are  a  small  but  very  conspicuous  part  of 
the  dress,  being  made  of  fine  white  linen,  and  appended  to 
the  neck-clock  or  cravat  in  front. 

The  dress  of  a  Bishop  may  not  be  worn  by  any  of  the 
Priests  or  Deacons  ;  but  the  other  garments,  viz.,  the  surplice, 
gown,  or  cassock,  may  be  used  by  any  Minister,  whether  he 
be  a  Bishop,  Priest,  or  Deacon. 

The  reason  why  these  garments  are  worn,  is,  because  the 
Church  has  never  thought  it  becoming  or  proper  for  the  Min. 
ister  to  come  before  God's  presence  in  the  services  of  his 
temple,  without  something  which  should  remind  both  Minis- 
ter and  people  of  the  reverence  due  to  God,  and  the  awful 
respect  with  which  his  worship  should  be  conducted.  And 
to  this  end,  it  has  seemed  right  that  Ministers  should  not 


130  CLERICAL    GARMENTS. 

perform  divine  service  in  their  ordinary  dress  alone,  but  in 
one  which  is  more  sacred  and  appropriate,  and  never  used 
for  any  other  purpose.  '•  We  find  that,  under  the  law,  the 
Jewish  Priests  were,  by  God's  own  appointment,  to  wear 
decent  sacred  vestments  at  all  times  ;  *  but  at  the  time  of 
public  service,  they  were  to  have,  besides  those  ordinary  gar- 
ments, a  white  linen  Ephod,""}'  The  surplice  or  white  gar- 
ment used  in  the  Church,  is  especially  deserving  of  notice, 
not  only  for  its  perfect  propriety,  but  also  because  of  its  great 
antiquity,  it  having  been  in  use  in  the  Churches  for  many 
hundred  years  ;  almost,  indeed,  from  the  very  time  when  the 
Apostles  lived. 

"  The  colour  of  the  surplice,"  says  Wheatly,  "  is  very  suit- 
able ;  for  it  aptly  represents  the  innocence  and  righteous- 
ness wherewith  God's  ministers  ought  to  be  clothed. — (Ps. 
cxxxii.  9.)  And  it  is  observable,  that  the  Ancient  of  Days, 
(Dan.  vii.  9,)  is  represented  as  having  garments  white  as 
snow;  and  that  when  our  Saviour  was  transfigured,  his  rai- 
ment was  white  as  the  light,  (Matt.  xvii.  2;)  and  that  when- 
ever angels  have  appeared  to  men,  they  have  always  been 
clothed  in  white  apparel. — (Matt,  xxviii.  3, — Mark,  xvi.  5, — 
Acts,  i.  10, — Rev.  vi.  11,  vii.  9,  xv.  6,  xix.  8-14.)" 

"  The  substance  of  it  is  linen,  for  woollen  would  be  thought 
ridiculous,  and  silk  would  scarce  be  afforded  :  and  we  may 
observe,  that  under  the  Jewish  dispensation,  God  himself  or- 
dained that  the  priests  should  not  gird  themselves  with  any 
thing  that  caused  sweat,  (Ezek.  xhv.  18  ;)  to  signify  the 
purity  of  heart  that  ought  to  be  in  those  that  were  set  apart 
to  the  performance  of  divine  service  ;  for  which  reason  the 
Jewish  Ephods  were  linen,  (1  Sam.  ii.  18,)  as  were  also  most 
of  the  other  garments  which  the  priests  wore  during  their 
ministrations.— (Lev.   xvi.   4;    Ezek.   xliv.    17,    18.)     The 

*  Exodus,  xxviii.  and  xxix. 

t  Exodus,  xxviii,  4.     I.  Sam.  ii.  18.     Wheatly, 


CLERICAL    GARMENTS.  131 

Levites,  also,  that,  were  singers,  were  arrayed  in  white  linen^ 
(2  Chron.  v.  12;)  and  the  armies  that  followed  the  Lamb 
were  clothed  mjine  linen,  (Rev.  xix.  14;)  and  to  the  Lamb's 
wife  was  granted,  that  she  should  be  arrayed  in  Jine  linen, 
white  and  clean ;  for  the  Jine  linen  is  (i.  e.  represents)  the 
righteousness  of  saints."  (Rev.  xix.  8.) 

Some  objections  have  been  urged  against  the  use  of  these 
garments  ;  but  they  are  generally  made  by  those  who  have 
not  been  educated  as  Episcopalians,  and  therefore  not  accus- 
tomed  to  the  usages  of  the  Church.  When  the  meaning  of  the 
surplice  and  gown  is  understood,  very  fsw  wiil  wish  to  urge 
objections  against  them,  but  rather  to  fall  in  with  the  estab- 
lished custom  of  the  Church. 

-  Some  have  said  that  it  is  popish  to  wear  them.  But  it 
might  with  as  good  reason  be  alleged  that  it  is  popish  to  wear 
our  ordinary  clothes,  for  Roman  Catholics  do  the  same.  If 
the  Roman  Catholics  were  wrong  in  wearing  clerical  gar- 
ments, and  if  we  wore  precisely  the  same  kind,  then  we  should 
be  guilty  of  the  same  error  with  them  ;  but  neither  of  these 
things  can  be  proved,  and  till  then,  we  may  be  allowed  quietly 
to  maintain  the  ancient  and  pious  customs  of  the  Church. 
The  danger  of  evil  is  not  in  the  use  of  such  garments,  but  in 
the  abuse  of  them,  as  in  those  churches  where  their  form, 
colour,  variety  and  splendor,  are  in  strong  contrast  with  the 
simplicity  which  prevails  in  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  fur- 
nish just  and  weighty  ground  of  objection. 

2d.  It  is  alleged  that  God  docs  not  require  his  Ministers 
to  use  these  garments.  But  neither  does  he  forbid  them. 
We  use  them  for  his  honor ;  and  wherever  God  has  spoken 
about  such  things  in  the  Bible,  it  has  always  been  in  their 
favor  ;  so  that  we  have  good  reason  to  believe,  that  in  using 
them  we  do  not  act  contrary  to  his  will,  but  rather  in  accord- 
ance with  it. 

3d.  It  is  said,  that  we  can  worship  God  fully  as  well  with- 
out them.     But  it  might  as  well  be  said,  that  we  can  worship 


132  COL 

him  also  without  building  churches,  and  without  uncovering 
our  heads,  and  without  kneeling  when  we  pray,  and  standing 
when  we  sing,  and  without  the  greater  part  of  those  things  to 
which  we  are  accustomed,  but  which  are  not  directly  com- 
manded  in  the  Bible.  We  are  persuaded  that  the  service  of 
the  Church  is  more  decent  and  solemn  with  these  garments 
than  without  them,  and  if  we  are  benefited  by  them  even  a 
little,  is  it  too  much  to  ask  that  we  should  quietly  retain  and 
use  them  ? 

Clerk.  The  legal  designation  of  a  Clergyman,  from  the 
Latin  clericus.  This  title  was  very  early  applied  to  the  min- 
isters of  the  Christian  Church.  St.  Jerome  finds  the  origin 
of  the  title  in  the  Greek  KXr^pog,  a  lot,  and  adds  : — "  God's 
Ministers  were  called  Clerici,  either  because  they  are  the 
lot  and  portion  of  the  Lord,  or  because  the  Lord  is  their  lot ; 
that  is,  their  inheritance."  "  Others  '  says  Bingham,  "  think 
some  regard  was  had  to  the  ancient  custom  of  choosing  per- 
sons  into  sacred  offices  by  lot,  both  among  the  Jews  and  Gen- 
tiles ;  which  is  not  improbable,  though  that  custom  never 
generally  prevailed  among  Christians." 

By  later  usage  the  term  has  been  applied  to  laymen  ap. 
pointed  to  conduct  or  lead  the  responses  of  the  congregation, 
and  otherwise  to  assist  in  the  services  of  the  Church. 

"  Cloke,"  or  "  Cloak."  A  word,  somewhat  obsolete,  oc- 
curring in  the  exhortation  at  the  beginning  of  Morning  and 
Evening  Prayer,  thus:  —  "Dearly  beloved  brethren,  the 
Scripture  moveth  us,  &c.  &c.  ;  and  that  we  should  not  dis- 
semble nor  cloke  them  before  the  face  of  Almighty  God," 
&c. ;  that  is,  we  should  no*  endeavour  to  hide  or  conceal  our 
sins  from  God,  for  to  deceive  Him  is  impossible  ;  and  be- 
sides, it  is  the  duty  of  penitent  sinners  to  approach  him  with 
sorrow  for  their  sins,  and  to  "  confess  them  with  an  humble, 
lowly,  penitent,  and  obedient  heart." 

Collect.  A  name  given  to  certain  brief  and  comprehen- 
sive prayers,  which  are  found  in  all  known  liturgies  and  pub. 


COLLECT.  133 

lie  devotional  offices.  The  use  of  the  term  being  very  an. 
cient,  it  is  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  give  any  satisfactory 
account  of  its  rise.  Ritualists  have  thought  that  these  pray- 
ers were  so  called,  because  they  were  used  in  the  public  con. 
gregation  or  collection  of  the  people ;  or,  from  the  fact  of 
many  petitions  being  here  collected  together  in  a  brief  sum- 
mary ;  or  because  they  comprehend  objects  of  prayer  gath- 
ered  out  of  the  Epistles  and  Gospels. 

Whatever  may  be  the  origin  of  the  term,  it  is  one  of  great 
antiquity,  having  been  mentioned  by  writers  of  the  third 
century.*  Collects  are  probably  as  ancient  as  Liturgies  ; 
and  Liturgies  as  ancient  as  the  Christian  Church.  Of  those 
now  in  use,  iQW  are  of  modern  date.  They  have  been  culled 
from  the  devotional  offices  of  ages  past ;  and  of  not  a  few  it 
may  be  said  that  "  their  origin  lies  in  the  distant  glory  of 
primitive  Christianity,  "f 

The  compilers  of  our  Prayer-book  were  diligent  students 
of  the  Liturgies,  &c.,  which  had  been  handed  down  to  them. 
From  these,  they  made  their  selections  with  admirable  judg- 
ment ;  and  the  only  marvel  is,  that  in  their  troublous  times, 
a  discriminating  and  impartial  spirit  was  preserved,  which, 
instead  of  condemning  the  ancient  forms  in  the  mass,  was 
content  to  sift  them  and  retain  their  goodness.  Among  the 
prizes  thus  gained  from  the  olden  time,  were  the  Collects 
of  the  Church.  The  majority  of  these  "  occur  in  the  Latin 
language,  in  the  ancient  missals  of  Salisbury,  York,  Here- 
ford, &c. ;  and  they  are  also  in  the  sacramentaries  of  the 
English  Church,  written  before  the  Norman  conquest.  We 
meet  them  in  all  the  ancient  MSS.  of  Gregory's  Sacrament- 
ary,  as  used  in  the  Roman,  Italian,  and  other  Western 
Churches,  and  thence  show  that  they  formed  part  of  that 
sacramentary,  when  it  was  first  introduced  into  England  by 
Augustine,  first  Archbishop  of  Canterbury;  and  in  consc- 


Shepherd.  t  Origines  Liturgicae,  II.  p.  40. 

12 


134  COM 

quence,  that  they  have  been  used  by  the  Church  of  this 
country  for  above  1200  years.  Many  of  the  Collects,  how- 
ever,  are  much  more  ancient  than  the  time  of  Gregory,  A.  D. 
590  ;  they  occur  in  the  sacramentary  of  Gelasius,  Patriarch 
of  Rome,  A.  D.  494 ;  and  some  may  be  traced  to  the  Leo- 
nian  Sacramentary,  used  in  the  Roman  Church,  about  A.  D. 
483."* 

The  advantages  of  prayers  in  the  brief  form  of  Collects, 
are, — the  relief  they  give  to  the  worshipper ;  the  variety 
they  throw  into  the  service  ;  the  fixing  of  attention,  by  new 
impulses  of  thought ;  the  solemnizing  of  the  mind,  by  fre- 
quent invocations  of  the  Hearer  of  prayer  ;  the  constant  re- 
ference of  all  our  hopes  to  the  merits  and  mediation  of  Christ, 
in  whose  name  every  Collect  is  offered  ;  and  lastly,  the  in- 
spiring feeling,  that  in  them  we  are  offering  up  our  prayers 
in  the  same  words  which  have  been  on  the  lips  of  the  mar- 
tyrs  and  saints  of  all  ages.  "  It  is  an  animating  reflection," 
says  Bishop  Brownell. — "  It  must  give  energy  to  our  faith, 
and  add  wings  to  our  petitions,  when  we  consider  that  we 
are  offering  up  those  consecrated  devotions  which,  from  the 
lips  and  hearts  of  holy  men,  have  from  age  to  age  ascended 
like  incense  up  to  heaven,  and  have  been  a  more  pleasing 
and  acceptable  sacrifice  to  the  Almighty,  than  '  thousands  of 
rams,  and  ten  thousands  of  rivers  of  oil.'" 

Commandments.     See  Decalogue. 

Commemoration.  A  service  appointed  by  the  Church  in 
memory  of  some  remarkable  event,  or  of  some  distinguished 
person.  Most  of  the  Holy-days  of  the  Church,  especially  the 
festivals,  are  days  of  this  kind.  On  all  the  Sundays  of  the 
year,  we  commemorate  the  resurrection  of  our  Savior  Christ. 
On  Christmas,  we  commemorate  his  birth.  On  Epiphany^ 
the  visit  of  the  wise  men.  On  Easter,  his  rising  from  the 
tomb,    &c.     Those,  also,    usually  called   Saints'   days,  are 

*  Origines  Liturgicae,  II.  p.  313. 


COM  135 

dedicated  to  the  memory  of  the  holy  men  after  whom  they 
are  named,  as  St.  Andrew,  St.  Thomas,  St.  John,  &c., 
whose  examples  and  eminent  piety  the  Church  does  well,  on 
these  holy-days,  to  call  to  our  remembrance,  and  propose  for 
our  imitation.     See  Holy-days. 

In  the  Romish  Church,  commemorations  are  also  "the  mix- 
ing the  service  of  some  holy-day  of  lesser  note,  with  the  ser- 
vice of  a  Sunday  or  holy-day  of  greater  eminency,  on  which 
the  less  holy-day  happens  to  fall.  In  which  case,  it  is  ap- 
pointed, that  only  the  hymns,  verses,  &c.,  and  some  other 
part  of  the  service  of  the  lesser  holy-day,  be  annexed  to  that 
of  the  greater." 

Commendations.  In  the  early  Church,  these  were  certain 
prayers,  in  which  catechumens,  penitents,  and  persons  at  the 
point  of  death,  were  solemnly  recommended  to  the  protection 
of  God.  In  the  Office  for  Visitation  of  the  Sick,  a  prayer  of 
this  description  is  preserved,  entitled,  "A  Comrnendatory 
Prayer  for  a  sick  person  at  the  point  of  departure." 

CoMMiNATiON.  A  denunciation  or  threatening  of  divine 
wrath.  In  the  Prayer-book  of  the  Church  of  England  is  an 
office  bearing  this  title,  or  a  "  Denouncing  of  God's  Anger 
and  Judgments  against  Sinners,"  to  be  used  "  on  the  first 
day  of  Lent,  and  at  other  times,  as  the  Ordinary  shall  ap- 
point."  In  the  American  Prayer-book,  the  only  portion  of 
this  office  retained  has  been  incorporated  in  the  service  for 
Ash  Wednesday,  and  consists  of  the  two  concluding  collects, 
with  the  general  supplication,  "  Turn  thou  us,  O  good 
Lord,"  &c. 

Commission.  The  spiritual  authority  with  which  a  min- 
ister is  invested  in  the  act  of  ordination,  empowering  him  to 
execute  the  functions  of  the  office  to  which  he  is  appointed. 
See  Ordination  and  Uninterrupted  succession. 

Committee,  Standing.  An  ecclesiastical  body  generally 
consisting  of  Clergy  and  Laity,  annually  elected  by  the  Con- 
vention of  each  Diocese,  to  aid  the  Bishop  in  certain  depart- 


136  COMMITTEE,  STANDING. 

ments  of  duty,  connected  with  the  government  of  the  Church, 
and  to  constitute  the  ecclesiastical  authority,  to  an  extent 
defined  by  the  Canons,  in  a  Diocese  where  there  is  no 
Bishop. 

In  the  earlier  Conventions  of  the  Church,  it  was  felt  that 
in  the  preliminary  steps  to  ordination,  there  should  be,  under 
the  Bishop,  some  definite  and  responsible  party,  empowered 
to  judge  of  the  qualifications  of  Candidates  for  the  ministry, 
and  to  report  thereon  ;  thus  relieving  the  Bishop  from  an 
onerous  duty, — interposing  a  check  on  the  admission  of  un- 
worthy  aspirants,  and  enabling  the  Convention,  so  far  as 
called  upon,  to  act  efficiently  in  its  recess,  by  authorizing 
and  employing  such  a  body.  At  first,  this  object  was  met, 
by  the  appointment  of  a  Committee  of  the  Convention  of  a 
Diocese  having  a  Bishop,  to  act  for  that  body  during  its 
recess.  This  Committee,  maintaining  its  existence,  and 
having  power  to  act  at  any  time  during  the  interval  between 
two  Conventions,  received  the  name  of  a  Standing  (or  per. 
manent)  Committee. 

It  does  not  appear  that  the  appointment  of  these  Com- 
mittees was  otherwise  than  inferentially  provided  for  by  the 
Canons,  till  the  year  1808,  when,  by  the  4th  Canon  of  the 
General  Convention,  their  existence  in  every  State  or  Diocese 
was  made  a  part  of  the  law  of  the  Church.  By  this  provi- 
sion they  assumed  a  more  independent  form  than  belonged 
to  them  in  their  previous  simple  dependence  on  diocesan 
regulation.  The  24th  Canon  of  the  same  Convention  also 
constituted  them  a  council  of  advice  to  the  Bishop,  and 
their  existence  in  Dioceses  having  no  Bishop,  was  recog- 
nized by  this  and  several  other  Canons. 

The  Standing  Committee,  on  their  appointment  by  the 
Convention,  "elect  from  their  own  body  a  president  and 
secretary,"  and  meet  from  time  to  time,  or  on  special  occa- 
sions, by  the  call  of  the  president,  for  the  transaction  of 
business. 


COM  137 

"  Where  there  is  no  Bishop,  the  standing  Committee  is 
the  ecclesiastical  authority  for  all  purposes  declared"*  in  the 
Canons  of  the  General  Convention,  or  those  of  the  particular 
Dioceses. 

The  position  occupied  by  these  bodies,  is  intermediate  be- 
tween the  Bishop  and  the  Church  in  his  Diocese,  and  also 
between  the  Diocese  and  the  General  Convention  ;  it  being 
their  province  to  act  for  the  House  of  Clerical  and  Lay  De- 
puties, in  case  of  the  election  of  a  Bishop  during  the  recess  of 
the  General  Convention.  The  detail  of  the  duties  of  the 
Standing  Committee,  is  not  to  be  found  otherwise  than  as  it 
may  be  gleaned  from  the  Canons  both  General  and  Diocesan ; 
to  enumerate  which  would  be  here  impossible  and  unne- 
cessary. 

Common  Prayer.  The  Prayer-book  is  so  characterized 
principally  for  the  two  following  reasons  : — 

1st.  Because  it  instructs  us  to  pray  for  all  men  in  common^ 
or  for  "  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men," — whether  rich  or 
poor,  Christians,  Jews,  or  heathen,  persons  in  authority,  or 
those  who  are  under  them.  This  duty  is  not  only  called  for 
by  true  benevolence,  and  sanctioned  by  the  example  of  all 
holy  men,  but  is  directly  commanded  in  the  word  of  God. 
See  particularly  1  Timothy,  ii.  1  ;  "  I  exhort  therefore,  that, 
first  of  all,  supplications,  prayers,  intercessions,  and  giving 
of  thanks,  be  made  for  all  men :  For  kings,  and  for  all  that 
are  in  authority,"  &c. 

2d.  Because  it  is  designed  for  the  use  of  all  descriptions 
of  worshippers.  Prayer  is  a  mutual  duty.  Every  one  ought 
to  be  prayed  for,  and  every  one  also  ought  to  pray.  And 
though  it  may  be  that  many  will  not  pray  even  for  them- 
selves, it  is  not  the  less  our  duty  as  Christians  to  pray  for 
them,  that  God  would  mercifully  turn  their  hearts,  and  lead 
them  to  repentance.     The  Prayer-book  presents  a  body  of 

*  Canon  IV.  of  the  General  Convention. 
12* 


138  COM 

supplications,  in  admirable  variety,  which  can  be  used  at  all 
times,  and  by  all  classes  of  Christians.  And  when  we  as- 
semble together  in  the  sanctuary  to  worship  the  Giver  of  all 
good  things,  our  united  devotions  ascend  in  the  same  Ian- 
guage  and  forms,  and  may,  in  the  strictest  sense,  be  called 
common  or  general  prayers.     See  Liturgy. 

"Common  supplications."  See  the  prayer  of  St.  Chry- 
sostom  at  the  end  of  the  Daily  Service  of  the  Church,  where 
the  epithet  common  is  not  used  to  signify  ordinary,  inferior, 
&c.,  but  united,  mutual,  or  universal — supplications  made  by 
the  congregation  with  one  accord, -^ach  desiring  a  participa- 
tion in  the  blessings  asked  for  by  his  brethren. 

Communicant.  One  who  has  been  admitted  to  the  recep- 
tion of  the  Holy  Communion.  This  term  is  not  to  be  con- 
sidered as  synonymous  with  the  appellation  Church-memher, 
though  it  is  inclusive  of  it.  A  Church-member  is  one  who 
has  been  baptized,  whether  a  partaker  at  the  altar  or  not ; 
but  the  name  of  Communicant  is,  by  common  usage,  given 
only  to  those  Church-members  who,  in  fulfilment  of  their 
solemn  obligations,  have  become  recipients  of  the  Sacrament 
of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

Communicate.  To  partake  of  the  Lord's  Supper  or  Holy 
Communion.  In  this  sense  the  term  is  used  in  the  Exhorta- 
tion to  the  negligent,  in  the  Communion  Office.  "  It  is  an 
easy  matter  for  a  man  to  say,  I  will  not  communicate,  because 
I  am  otherwise  hindered,"  &c.  It  also  occurs  several  times 
in  the  rubrics  of  the  "  Communion  of  the  Sick,"  with  the 
same  ordinary  meaning. 

Another  application  of  the  term  is  to  the  tloing  of  acts  of 
charity  and  benevolence,  as  in  Hebrews,  xiii.  16.  "  To  do 
good,  and  to  communicate,  [distribute,]  forget  not." 

Communio.  It  was  the  custom  of  the  primitive  Church 
to  fill  up  the  time  during  which  the  people  communicated,  by 
singing  a  psalm.  We  find  from  Cyril,  Chrysostom,  and  Je- 
rome, that  in  the  Churches  of  Antioch  and  Jerusalem,  "  O 


COM  139 

taste  and  see,"  &;c.,  was  sung  during  tho  oommunlon  in  the 
fourth  century.  In  the  west  we  find  numerous  traces  of  the 
same  custom.  Augustine  expressly  mentions  it,  and  it  ap- 
pears  to  have  prevailed  in  Gaul  and  Italy.  In  after  times  it 
was  generally  adopted  in  the  west,  and  the  anthem  was  called 
Communio.^''  * 

CoMMUNiON-BooK.  The  name  formerly  given  to  a  book 
containing  the  communion  office  of  the  Church. 

Communion,  Church.  In  the  popular  sense,  a  fellowship 
and  participation  in  the  privileges  of  the  Church.  The  term, 
thus  used,  refers  more  especially  to  the  relation  subsisting 
between  individuals  and  the  Church.  On  this  we  do  not  pur- 
pose  to  dwell,  but  rather  to  consider  it  in  reference  to  that 
harmonious  unity  and  mutual  concord  which  should  exist  be- 
tween the  various  branches  constituting  the  Catholic  Church 
of  Christ. 

In  the  Apostolic  and  primitive  ages,  a  perfect  and  admira- 
ble unity  reigned  throughout  the  Church.  Every  branch  of 
it  was  in  communion  with  all  other  branches.  One  general 
interest  pervaded  the  whole,  and  in  the  strictest  sense,  there 
was  acknowledged  "  One  Lord,  one  faith,  and  one  baptism." 
The  Church  was  then  in  her  golden  days.  Free  from  inter- 
nal dissension,  and  able  to  bring  all  her  powers  to  bear  at 
any  point,  for  the  suppression  of  error,  she  exhibited  a  spec- 
tacle of  sublimity  and  beauty,  which  even  her  enemies  did 
not  fail  to  admire,  and  over  which  the  angels  of  heaven 
might  well  rejoice. 

While  then  the  Church  was  at  unity  with  itself,  and 
brotherly  love  knew  no  bounds  of  party  and  sect,  but  spread 
to  the  remotest  corners  of  Christendom,  the  question  will  be 
an  interesting  one.  In  what  did  this  universal  communion 
consist,  and  how  did  it  manifest  itself  between  the  large  and 
important  bodies  of  Christians,  which,  though  widely  sepa- 

*  Origines  LiturgicEe,  I.  p.  153. 


140  COMMUNION,    CHURCH. 

rated  by  territory,  climate,  customs,  and  the  genius  of  the 
people,  were  all  integral  parts  of  the  universal  Church?  To 
this  question  we  reply  as  follows  : — 

1.  As  there  was  but  "one  faith"  in  the  whole  Christian 
world,  and  this  was  summed  up  in  the  Church's  Creeds,  there 
was  a  mutual  care  among  all  the  Churches  to  preserve  and 
maintain  this  faith  pure  and  entire.  Hence,  on  the  conse- 
oration  of  a  Bishop,  a  declaration  of  his  soundness  in  the 
faith  was  made  before  a  Synod,  and  his  circular  letters  were 
sent  to  foreign  churches,  assuring  them  of  his  communion 
with  them.  So  important  was  this  mutual  understanding 
respecting  the  faith,  that  "  if  any  Church  deserted  or  de- 
stroyed this  faith  in  whole  or  in  part,  they  were  looked  upon 
as  rebels  and  traitors  against  Christ,  and  enemies  to  the 
common  faith,  and  treated  as  a  conventicle  of  heretics,  and 
not  of  Christians."  * 

2.  In  the  case  of  any  local  heresy,  every  portion  of  the 
Church  stood  ready  to  render  its  assistance  in  suppressing  it. 
A  breach  of  the  faith  was  a  general  calamity,  and  met  with 
a  general  resistance.  Bishops,  sound  in  the  faith,  were  al- 
lowed at  such  times  to  go  into  the  diocese  where  the  heresy 
prevailed,  and  ordain  men  "  to  oppose  the  malignant  designs 
of  the  enemy,"  though  at  any  other  time  this  would  have 
been  a  breach  of  order.  Every  security  was  thus  given  for 
the  preservation  of  the  Catholic  faith,  and  all  acted  in  con- 
cert to  overthrow  any  departure  from  it. 

3.  Every  member  of  a  national  or  particular  Church,  was 
ipso  facto  a  member  of  the  Church  at  large ;  and  conse- 
quently, whatever  foreign  country  he  might  have  occasion  to 
visit,  he  was  literally  at  home  in  any  Church  of  that  country, 
and  was  not  only  privileged,  but  bound  to  unite  in  its  worship, 
and  partake  at  its  altars.     The  Church  was  like  one  vast 


»  Bingham,  VI.  p.  6. 


COMMUNION,    CHURCH.  141 

Diocese,  in  which  every  temple  was  open  to  Christians  from 
east,  west,  north,  or  south. 

So  also  with  the  Clergy.  In  travelling,  they  were  eligible 
to  assist  in  the  performance  of  divine  offices,  (on  presenting 
their  canonical  letters,)  in  any  Church  in  the  whole  world. 
But  in  so  doing,  were  of  course  required  to  conform  to 
the  liturgies  and  customs  of  those  Churches.  For  while 
the  faith  was  one  and  the  same  in  all  Churches,  the  forms 
and  usages  in  divine  worship  were  various,  but  all  agreeing 
in  the  recognition  of  the  essential  features  of  gospel  truth. 
So  far  as  ceremonies  and  the  order  of  divine  worship  were 
concerned,  every  diocese  or  patriarchate  had  its  own  pecu- 
liarities  ;  but  as  these  never  affected  the  integrity  of  the 
faith,  every  foreign  clergyman  might  with  full  freedom  of 
conscience  conform  to  the  customs  of  the  Churches  he  might 
happen  to  visit. 

4.  Acts  of  discipline  in  any  part  of  the  Church,  were 
recognized  and  respected  universally.  As  a  person  duly 
baptized  and  thereby  admitted  to  be  a  member  of  any  par- 
ticular Church,  had  a  right  to  communicate  in  any  part 
of  the  Catholic  Church,  travelling  with  commendatory  letters 
from  the  Bishop  of  his  own  Church  ;  so,  in  case  of  his  sus- 
pension, or  excommunication,  he  was  denied  the  privileges, 
not  only  of  his  own  particular  Church,  but  of  the  Church  at 
large,  every  portion  of  it  sanctioning  the  discipline  of  any 
other  portion. 

5.  All  Churches  agreed  in  receiving  the  decisions  of 
General  Councils.  These  Councils  were  indeed  of  them- 
selves evidence  of  a  prevailing  unity  throughout  the  Church, 
each  portion  sending  its  Bishops,  and  having  its  representa- 
tion in  those  great  central  bodies.  Whatever  decrees  or 
canons  were  passed  by  such  Councils,  were  therefore  obliga- 
tory on  the  whole  Church.  And  from  these  may  be  dated 
the  rise  of  many  customs,  &c.,  which  obtained  general  fa- 


142  COMMUNION,    CHURCH. 

vor  ;  the  greatest  deference  being  shown  by  every  portion  of 
the  Church  to  the  decisions  of  these  venerable  bodies. 

These  were  the  principal  points  in  which  the  communion 
of  the  primitive  churches  with  each  other  manifested  itself. 
And  it  is  impossible  for  the  Christian  mind  to  think  other- 
wise of  it,  than  as  a  lovely  exemplification  of  the  Church 
principles  of  the  New  Testament  carried  out  into  actual 
practice.  There  was  something  in  those  early  days  which 
bound  men  together  in  their  Christian  relations,  with  an  indis- 
soluble firmness.  The  question  of  life  or  death  was  a  trifle, 
when  compared  with  the  horror  attached  to  a  breach  of  the 
unity  of  the  Church.  And  so  essential  was  the  maintenance 
of  the  most  thorough  and  amicable  communion  between  the 
various  branches  of  the  Church  Catholic,  that  the  least  indi- 
cation of  the  contrary  in  any  particular  Diocese,  was  instantly 
felt  throughout  the  whole  like  an  electric  shock ;  and  men 
bound  themselves  firmer  with  the  girdle  of  unity,  and  rallied 
together  to  withstand  what  was  rightly  esteemed  a  general 
calamity. 

What  then  was  the  origin  of  this  unanimity  ?  Unques- 
tionably,  a  right  view  of  the  nature  of  the  Church,  and  a 
holy  dread  of  disobedience  to  Him  who  had  founded  it. 
Unity  was  one  of  the  most  imperative  commands  of  Christ, 
and  was  incessantly  urged  and  enforced  by  the  Apostles,  and 
riveted  upon  men's  minds,  as  a  cardinal  principle,  never  to 
be  forgotten.  Such  a  thing  as  a  Church  existing  in  dis- 
united fragments,  (not  to  say  hostile  ones,)  was  to  the  prim- 
itive Christians,  as  incomprehensible  a  thing  as  separate  in- 
terests among  the  principalities  of  heaven,  or  as  disunion 
between  the  Persons  of  the  adorable  Godhead.  The  Church 
was  one,  however  scattered  through  the  different  countries  of 
the  earth.  This  was  a  mere  accident  which  could  not  touch 
its  unity ;  nay,  had  the  earth  swelled  to  the  dimensions  of 
Saturn  or  the  Sun,  and  its  Churches  been  increased  a  million 
fold,  there  would  still  have  been  felt  the  universal  obHgation 


COM  143 

to  preserve  the  sacred  unity  of  the  Church  unbroken,  and  to 
continue,  strong  as  ever,  that  cordial  spirit  of  intercom- 
munion which  was  so  prominent  a  characteristic  of  the 
Apostolic  Church. 

To  glance  from  this  to  the  divisions  and  discords  of  modern 
times,  is  little  less  than  to  inflict  a  wound  on  the  reader. 
Should  the  Son  of  Man  now  come,  would  he  find  faith  on  the 
earth — that  faith  which  demands  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in 
the  bond  of  peace  ?  To  the  faithfulness  of  God  to  his  pro- 
mises, we  owe  the  preservation  of  his  Church.  To  the  un- 
faithfulness of  man  to  his  obligations,  we  owe  the  fearful 
distractions  of  that  Church.  As  Episcopalians,  we  acknow- 
ledge  still  one  holy  Catholic  Church.  And,  not  by  our  own 
act,  but  by  the  usurpations  and  corruptions  of  other  branches 
of  the  Church, — usurpations  which  would  have  been  frowned 
upon  in  the  early  Church,  are  we  driven  for  conscience'  sake, 
to  refuse  communion  with  them  to  the  extent  of  their  errors. 
We  allow  the  right  of  every  branch  of  the  Church  to  its  own 
ceremonies,  liturgies,  usages,  and  discipline,  so  they  be  not 
contrary  to  the  Word  of  God.  The  Ministry  which  has  de- 
scended  from  the  Apostles,  we  every  where  acknowledge,  on 
evidence  of  its  unbroken  succession.  Hence,  we  profess  to 
stand  in  no  other  than  the  same  attitude  with  every  original 
branch  of  the  primitive  Church,  and  take  no  exceptions 
against  other  branches,  only  in  so  far  as  they  would  have  been 
universally  excepted  against  in  the  purest  ages.  We  with- 
hold communion  only  to  the  extent  of  error  (the  Scripture 
being  judge)  in  the  other  party.  Let  this,  therefore,  be  re- 
moved, and  we  may  hope  again  to  see  that  delightful  inter- 
change  of  affection  and  fellowship  in  faith  and  worship,  which 
so  nobly  distinguished  the  Church  in  her  young  and  better 
days. 

CoMMUJsuoN,  Holy.  "  The  Supper  of  the  Lord,"  says 
Bishop  Jewell,  "  is  a  sacrament — that  is,  an  evident  repre- 
sentation— of  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ,  wherein  is  set. 


144  COMMUNION,  HOLY. 

as  it  were,  before  our  eyes,  the  death  of  Christ,  and  his 
resurrection,  and  whatsoever  he  did  whilst  he  was  in  his 
mortal  body :  to  the  end  we  may  give  him  thanks  for  his 
death,  and  for  our  deliverance ;  and  that  by  the  often 
receiving  of  this  sacrament,  we  may  daily  renew  the  re- 
membrance thereof,  to  the  intent  we,  being  fed  with  the 
body  and  blood  of  Christ,  may  be  brought  into  the  hope 
of  the  resurrection,  and  of  everlasting  life,  and  may  most 
assuredly  believe,  that  as  our  bodies  be  fed  with  bread  and 
wine,  so  our  souls  be  fed  with  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ."* 

The  names  designating  this  sacrament  are,  the  Eucharist, 
or  thanksgiving  ;  the  Lord's  Supper,  in  reference  to  the  cir- 
cumstances of  its  institution ;  the  Communion,  because  in 
this,  the  members  of  Christ  maintain  communion  with  their 
Head,  and  with  one  another.  It  is  also  denominated  a  "  feast," 
a  "sacrifice  of  thanksgiving,"  &c.,  &c. 

In  the  present  article,  it  will  be  our  principal  object  to  con- 
sider  the  holy  Communion,  rather  in  its  liturgical  than  in  its 
doctrinal  or  practical  aspect. 

The  mode  in  which  this  sacrament  was  originally  cele- 
brated, was  such  as  corresponded  with  the  humble  rank,  and 
simplicity  of  manners,  which  characterized  the  early  Chris- 
tians. In  the  primitive  Church  it  was  customary,  on  almost 
all  occasions  of  divine  worship,  to  celebrate  the  Lord's  Sup. 
per.  At  these  times,  oblations  were  made  by  the  people, 
consisting  of  bread,  wine,  and  ofter  things.  These  were 
applied  to  the  support  of  the  Clergy,  the  relief  of  the 
poor,  and  the  supply  of  the  Lord's  table ;  a  portion  of 
the  bread  and  wine  being  reserved  for  that  purpose.  This 
was  the  pract  ce  in  the  first  century,  while  the  Apostles 
were  still  alive. 

It  appears  that  the  celebration  of  the  Eucharist  was  not 
at  first  public,  but  those  who  held  the  rank  of  catechumens. 


*  Jewell's  Apology,  p.  52. 


COMMUNION,  HOLY.  146 

and  were  only  in  a  course  of  preparation  for  baptism,  were 
carefully  excluded.  The  early  pastors  divided  their  flocks 
into  the  two  classes  of  catechumens  and  believers.  To  the 
first,  the  simplest  principles  only  of  the  gospel  of  Christ  were 
taught ;  and  if  the  pastor  had  occasion  at  any  time,  in  their 
presence,  to  speak  to  the  believers,  of  the  higher  mysteries  of 
Christianity,  he  expressed  himself  in  a  kind  of  obscure  lan^ 
guage,  understood  only  by  the  initiaied.  This  practice  was 
said  to  be  of  divine  authority,  and  a  number  of  texts  of  scrip- 
ture were  alleged  as  involving  it. 

It  was  the  custom,  as  we  have  said,  to  administer  the  Com- 
munion at  almost  every  season  of  regular  public  worship. 
Even  as  late  as  the  fourth  century,  we  are  told  that  it  was 
held  two  or  three  times  a  week  in  many  places,  and  on  every 
Sunday  in  others.  It  was  also  celebrated  at  the  tombs  of 
martyrs,  aiid  at  funerals,  and  from  these  custoins,  probably, 
we  may  date  the  rise  of  masses  in  the  Romish  Church  for 
the  benefit  of  the  dead,  and  in  memory  of  departed  Saints. 
Another  practice  followed  after  this,  viz.,  the  holding  up  of 
the  b-ead  and  wine  in  the  sight  of  the  people,  who  viewed 
these  symbols  with  a  deep  feeling  of  reverence,  and  from 
this,  in  all  probability,  arose  the  popish  "  adoration  of  the 

host." 

About  600  years  after  Christ,  the  privacy  attending  the 
administration  of  the  Eucharist  was  thrown  aside,  and  by 
the  command  of  Gregory  the  great,  its  celebration  was  at- 
tended with  a  "  magnificent  assemblage  of  pompous  cere- 
monies." From  that  day  it  has  preserved,  in  most  of  the 
unreformed  Churches,  these  same  traits  of  splendor,  together 
with  the  belief  of  the  actual  change  of  the  elements  into  the 
true  body  and  blood  of  Jesus  Christ. 

At  the  time  of  the  Reformation,  and  the  compiling  of  the 
Prayer-book,  the  forms  of  the  Romish  mass  were  laid  aside, 
and  the  ancient  Liturgies  and  sacramentaries  being  examin- 
ed, the  most  pure  and  primitive  portions  were  selected,  and 

13 


146  COMMUNION,  HOLY. 

from  them  principally  our  admirable  Office  for  the  Eucharist 
was  framed.  Great  care  was  required  in  the  arrangement 
and  formation  of  this  service.  The  ordinance  itself  is  the 
sublimest  act  of  Christian  worship.  It  is  that  in  which  the 
sincere  believer  experiences  the  greatest  outpouring  of  divine 
grace.  Being  instituted  in  remembrance  of  the  passion  and 
death  of  our  Blessed  Redeemer,  it  abounds  with  the  most 
affecting  and  heavenly  associations.  Sensible  of  this,  the 
compilers  found  it  necessary  to  use  more  than  ordinary  care 
and  discrimination  in  this  part  of  their  labors.  In  rejecting 
the  Romish  doctrine  of  transubstantiation,  they  were  not  for- 
getful to  guard  against  an  opposite  extreme — the  degradation 
of  the  sacrament  into  a  mere  act  of  memory.  Their  object 
was  to  frame  a  service  on  scriptural  principles,  as  these 
principles  were  understood  in  the  early  Church.  They  found 
that  the  primitive  behevers  celebrated  the  Supper  of  the  Lord 
with  the  greatest  demonstrations  of  religious  joy.  The  Lit- 
urgies of  the  earl>  Church  prove  this,  being  full  of  high  and 
heavenly  breathings  of  soul,  coupled  with  strains  of  devotion, 
almost  enthusiastic.  Here  then  was  the  model  ;  and  admi- 
rably  have  our  compilers  followed  it,  by  not  only  catching 
its  spirit,  but  in  many  cases  its  very  words ; — thus  qualifying 
us,  so  far  as  the  external  apparatus  is  concerned,  to  unite 
with  the  worthies  of  a  better  age  in  their  sublimest  acts  of 
worship,  and  their  saintly  hymns  of  thanksgiving. 

The  Communion  Office  of  the  Church  of  England,  though 
entitled  to  this  praise,  was  not,  however,  so  entirely  free  from 
imperfection,  as  to  leave  no  room  for  the  retouching  of  fu- 
ture hands.  In  the  American  revisal,  some  portions  are 
omitted,  which  were  of  a  local  or  civil  nature  ;  and  the 
Prayer  of  Consecration  has  been  entirely  remodelled.  In 
the  English  book  this  prayer  includes  only  what  forms  the 
first  paragraph  in  our  Office,  with  the  insertion  of  a  few  words 
from  the  Invocation  following.  "  The  Oblation  and  Invoca- 
tion were  added,  or  rather  restored,  to  the  Communion  Office, 


COM 


147 


at  the  revision  of  the  Liturgy  by  our  General  Convention  in 
the  year  17!:59.  The  Oblation  is  taken  verbatim  from  the  Con- 
secration Prayer  in  the  first  Book  of  Edward  VI.,  with  the  ad- 
dition  of  a  single  clause  from  the  Scotch  Liturgy,  'which  we 
now  offer  unto,  thee,'  inserted  after  the  words  '  thy  holy 
gifts.'  This  Oblation  was  dropped  in  the  second  Book  of 
King  Edward,  at  the  instance  of  Bucer  and  Martyr,  and  has 
not  since  been  restored  to  the  English  service.  The  Invo- 
cation  is  taken  in  part  from  the  Prayer  of  Consecration  in  the 
first  Book  of  Edward,  and  partly  from  a  Collect,  transferred 
to  this  place  from  the  Post-communion  service  of  the  present 
English  Book."* 

The  effect  of  these  changes  has  been  to  enhance,  in  no 
slight  degree,  the  beauty  and  excellence  of  the  Communion 
Office ;  a  better  proof  of  which  need  not  be  given,  than  in 
frequent  admissions  to  this  effect,  by  writers  of  the  Church 
of  England. 

Respecting  kneeling  at  the  communion,  See  the  latter  part 
of  the  article  Adoration. 

See  also  the  articles.  Alms,  Altar,  Ante-communion, 
Both  kinds,  Canon,  Carried  about.  Chalice,  Chancel, 
Communion  of  the  Sick,  Consubstantiation,  Devotions, 
Elevation  of  the  Host,  Eulogies,  Excommunication,  Lin- 
en  cloth.  Mass,  Oblation,  Offertory,  Prefaces,  Tran- 
substantiation,  and  Trisagion. 

Communion  of  Saints.  The  Church  of  Christ  being  a 
societv,  the  members  of  which  are  all  "  servants  of  the  same 
God,  redeemed  by  the  same  atoning  blood,  sanctified  by  the 
same  Spirit,  governed  by  the  same  laws,  partakers  of  the 
same  sacraments,  and  heirs  of  the  same  promises,"f  it  fol- 
lows,  both  from  the  nature  of  the  case,  and  from  the  com- 
mand  of  God,  that  there  should  exist  not  only  an  outward 


♦  Bishop  Brownell's  Commentary  on  the  Prayer-book,  p,  307. 
t  Bishop  Brownell. 


148  COMMUNION  OF  SAINTS. 

fellowship  in  the  bonds  of  the  Church,  and  in  tlie  enjoyment 
of  its  privileges  ;  but  also  a  close  and  endearing  "synipathy 
of  souls,"— a  mutual  sharing  of  joys  and  sufferings,  and  a 
feeling  of  intimate  relation  among  all  who  belong  to  the 
household  of  faith.  Between  the  faithful  members  of  the 
Church,  and  their  Divine  Head,  there  is  an  undoubted  com- 
munion  guarantied  by  the  express  promises  of  Scripture. 
Christ  and  his  saints  are  united  in  one  holy  fellowship,  as  the 
branches  are  united  to  the  vine  ;  and  in  like  manner,  a  sacred 
and  inviolable  bond  of  fraternal  love,  should  link  together  all 
who  name  the  name  of  Christ,  and  are  heirs  of  the  same 
heavenly  inheritance.  This,  we  apprehend,  is  the  purport 
of  tliat  article  of  the  Creed,  in  which  we  assert  our  belief  in 
"the  Communion  of  Saints." 

But  the  question  may  here  be  asked,  How  far  does  this 
communion  extend  ?  We  reply,  to  the  whole  state  of 
Christ's  Church.  That  it  reaches  to  the  remotest  bounds  of 
the  Church  on  earth,  is  manifest,  and  no  accidental  differ- 
ences of  rank,  education,  wealth,  &c.,  should  be  permitted 
to  rupture  the  lie  of  brotherly  concord,  which  is  the  vital 
principle  of  our  religion,  and  the  crowning  grace  of  the 
Church.  But  does  the  fellowship  of  saints  extend  no  fur. 
ther  than  this?  Shall  we  say  that  there  is  no  spiritual 
^nion  between  us  and  those  who  have  finished  their  course  1 
Is  the  communion  of  saints  limited  to  the  borders  of  this 
lonely  planet?  Is  there  no  ladder  of  communication,  by 
which  (like  the  angels  in  the  patriarch's  dream)  we  may 
ascend  to  the  regions  of  triumphant  immortality?  Is  the 
body  of  Christ  divided,  and  are  the  conquerors  above  sepa, 
rated  from  the  valiant  soldiers  below,  by  a  barrier  impene. 
trable  to  the  eye  of  faith  ?  Is  the  silken  cord  snapped  asunder, 
which  binds  the  Church  in  glory  to  the  Church  in  probation  ? 
No  !  but  the  family  of  God  is  one — indivisible— extending 
to  both  worlds.  Death  is  powerless  to  separate  what  God 
iias  joined  together.     There  is  an  unbroken  connexion  exist- 


COM  149 

ing  between  heaven  and  earth,  in  the  fact  that  saints,  whether 
in  the  body  or  out  of  the  bod\^  are  brethren  still,  and  mem- 
bers still,  of  that  sacred  communion  of  which  Christ  is  the 
Head.  The  fellowship  of  the  children  of  God,  is  a  fellow- 
ship of  souls.  Death  may  triumph  over  the  body,  but  yet 
the  immortal  spirit  is  secure.  And  if  the  dissolution  of  the 
body  produce  any  change  in  the  relation  of  the  spirits  of  the 
living  to  those  of  the  dead,  we  see  not  how  it  can  be,  but  by 
the  enlarging  and  strengthening  of  former  intercourse; 
otherwise,  we  are  forced  to  the  conclusion  that  the  Apostle 
spoke  in  parables,  when  he  encouraged  the  Hebrew  and  all 
other  Christians,  to  "  run  with  patience  the  race  that  was  set 
before  them,"  on  the  grou7id  that  they  were  ".compassed 
about  with  so  great  a  cloud  of  witnesses,"  even  the  souls  of 
the  faithful  departed.  If  then  there  be  such  a  thing  as  the 
*•  communion  of  saints,"  we  find  not  that  it  is  limited  to  the 
Church  below. 

"  Angels,  and  living  saints,  and  dead, 

But  one  communion  make  ; 
AH  join  in  Christ,  their  vital  Head, 

And  of  his  love  partake."* 

Communion  of  the  Sick.  In  this  office,  we  have  an  ex- 
ample of  the  benevolent  care  exhibited  by  the  Church  to- 
wards her  suffering  members.  "As  all  mortal  men  be  sub- 
ject to  many  sudden  perils,  diseases,  and  sicknesses,  and  ever 
uncertain  what  time  they  shall  depart  out  of  this  life,"t  the 
Church  has  not  only  provided  for  their  baptism,  and  for  the 
visitations  of  the  pastor,  but  has  authorized  and  directed  the 
administration  to  them  of  "  the  most  comfortable  Sacrament 
of  the  Body  and  Blood  of  Christ." 

Although  the  Church  maintains  that  the  Eucharist,  as  a 
general  rule,  is  to  be  publicly  administered  in  the  house  of 

♦  Hymn  26.  t  Rubric. 

13* 


150  COMMUNION    OF    THE    SICK. 

God,  and  has  signiiied  her  disapprovt.1  of  solitary  comma- 
nion,  in  all  cases;  yet  when  by  sickness  her  members  are  in- 
capable of  presenting-  themselves  at  the  altar,  there  is  a  wise 
and  tender  relaxation  of  her  usages,  corresponding  with  the 
peculiar  necessity  of  the  case.  This  too  "is  exactly  con- 
formable to  the  most  early  practice  of  the  primitive  Church  ; 
for  there  is  nothing  more  frequently  mentioned  by  the  an- 
cient writers,  than  the  care  of  the  Church  to  distribute  the 
Eucharist  to  all  dying  persons  that  were  capable  of  receiving 
it."*  "  There  are  many  instances,"  says  Palmer,  "  in  anti- 
quity, of  the  celebration  of  the  Eucharist  in  private  for  the 
6ick.  Thus,  Paulinus,  Bishop  of  Nola,  caused  the  Eucharist 
to  be  celebrated  in  his  own  chamber,  not  many  hours  before 
his  death.  Gregory  Nazianzen  informs  us,  that  his  father 
communicated  in  his  own  chamber,  and  that  his  sister  had 
an  altar  at  home  ;  and  Ambrose  is  said  to  have  administered 
the  sacrament  in  a  private  house  at  Rome.  The  Church 
is  therefore  justified  in  directing  the  Eucharist  to  be  conse- 
crated in  private  houses,  for  the  benefit  of  the  sick  ;  and  she 
has  taken  care,  in  the  rubric  immediately  preceding  the  of- 
fice, that  the  sacrament  should  be  decorously  and  reverently 
admin  istered."-(- 

By  the  rubrics  it  is  provided,  that  on  all  ordinary  occasions 
of  Communion  of  the  Sick,  there  shall  be  at  the  least  two 
persons  present  to  participate,  besides  the  priest  and  the  sick 
person.  But  at  times  of  contagious  sickndss,  &c.,  where, 
through  fear  of  the  infection,  these  cannot  be  had,  the  minis- 
ter is  permitted  to  communicate  alone  with  the  diseased. 

In  the  distribution  of  the  elements,  the  rubric  orders  that 
the  sick  person  shall  receive  last.  This  is  done  "  because 
those  who  communicate  with  him,  through  fear  of  some  con. 
tagion,  or  the  noisomeness  of  his  disease,  may  be  afraid  to 
drink  out  of  the  same  cup  after  him."  J 


Wheatly,  p.  496.      t  Origines  Liturgicse,  I,  p.  229.      t  Wheatly, 


cOi^  151 

CoMMtJNioN  Table.     See  Altar. 

Concurrence  of  Holy  Days,  or  Doubles.  As  many  of 
the  holy-days  of  the  Church  are  fixed  to  certain  determinate 
days  of  the  year,  and  the  others,  including  all  the  Sundays, 
are  continually  subject  to  change  their  days,  it  must  necessa- 
rily follow  that  two  holy-days  will  occasionally  meet  together 
on  the  same  day  of  the  year,  and  consequently,  that  for  such 
a  day  there  will  be  two  sets  of  Lessons  for  Morning  and 
Evening  Prayer,  with  two  Collects,  Epistles,  and  Gospels. 
These  days  are  technically  called  "  Doubles,"  "  Concurrent 
Holy-days,"  or  "Duplex  Festivals." 

A  question  of  some  difficulty  here  occurs,  relative  to  the 
day  to  be  observed,  on  such  an  accidental  conjunction  of 
Sunday  with  a  Saint's  day,  or  of  a  Saint's  day  with  any  other 
festival  or  fast.  It  is  evident  that  a  choice  must  be  made,  as 
]>oth  services  entire  cannot  be  used  ;  and  the  making  of  this 
choice  constitutes  the  difficulty. 

The  Church  itself  has  here  given  no  decision,  either  by 
her  Canons,  Rubrics,  or  Customs.  In  consequence,  a  variety 
of  practice  prevails  both  in  the  Church  of  England  and  that 
of  the  United  States,  assuming  the  following  general  forms  : — 

1.  That  of  preserving  the  regular  Sunday  services  entire, 
without  regard  to  any  other  festival,  except  Christmas,  which 
may  occur  on  such  Sundays.  This  practice  applies  only  tc 
Sundays,  and  the  holy-days  coming  into  collision  with  them. 

2.  The  reverse  of  this,  in  the  use  of  the  service  of  the  holy- 
day,  and  the  waiving  of  that  for  the  Sunday,  except  on  Ad. 
vent,  Easter,  Whitsunday,  and  Trinity.  This,  too,  only  re- 
fers  to  Sundays. 

3.  The  mixing  of  the  two  services  on  any  such  duplex 
festival,  by  selecting  from  the  Lessons  of  each,  and  using 
one  or  both  Collects,  and  either  of  the  Epistles  and  Gospels. 

The  first  of  these  modes  is  grounded  on  the  supposition, 
that  the  ordinary  Sunday  service  is  of  superior  obligation  to 
that  appointed  for  the  other  festivals.     But  this  is  very  far 


152  CONCURRENCE  OF  HOLY  DAYS. 

from  being  the  case,  inasmuch  as  both  services  rest  simply 
on  the  appointment  of  the  Church.  And  that  no  such  supe- 
riority  was  acknowledged  in  the  Church  of  England,  ap- 
pears from  the  fact,  that  in  the  form  there  used  for  the  5th  of 
November,  (Gunpowder  Plot,)  the  rubric  ordains,  that  "  If 
this  day  shall  happen  to  be  Sunday,  o?iIy  the  Collect  proper 
for  that  Sunday  shall  be  added  to  this  office  in  its  place." 
Under  the  same  circumstances,  the  form  for  "  The  Restora. 
tion  of  the  Royal  Family  "  is  to  be  used  only  in  part  on  Whit- 
sunday, and  Trinity.  "  But  if  it  shall  happen  to  be  any  other 
Sunday,  this  whole  office  shall  he  used,  as  it  followeth  entire- 
ly,''^ And  in  the  case  of  the  form  for  the  King's  Accession, 
it  is  ordered,  that  "  If  this  day  shall  happen  to  be  Sunday,  this 
whole  office  shall  he  used  as  it  followeth,  entirely.^''  From 
this  we  argue,  that  no  superior  authority  was  attached  to  the 
Sunday  service ;  and  that,  if  it  might  be  set  aside  for  the 
above  semi-political  festivals,  with  at  least  equal  reason  might 
the  same  be  done  in  favor  of  the  proper  holy-days  of  the 
Church. 

One  of  the  other  expedients  mentioned, — that  of  selecting 
portions  of  both  services,  and  mixing  them  together, — is  also 
open  to  objection.  The  Sunday  service,  it  will  be  observed, 
is  a  complete  form,  and  equally  so  is  that  for  the  holy-day.  If 
then  a  portion  only  of  each  be  used,  neither  service  is  per- 
formed ;  and  more  than  this,  the  minister  assumes  the  re- 
sponsibility of  compiling  d^  new  service,  by  the  mutilation  of 
two  already  set  forth  by  the  Church.  A  further  objection  to 
this  practice,  is  the  irregularity  consequent  upon  it.  Every 
Clergyman  would,  of  course,  make  his  own  selection,  and  by 
so  doing,  the  uniformity  of  the  Church  services  would  be 
broken  on  every  such  festival,  when,  of  all  times,  that 
uniformity  should  be  most  conspicuous. 

The  other  practice  referred  to,  of  giving  the  precedence  to 
the  holy-day,  rather  than  to  the  Sunday  service,  on  all  com^ 
mon  occasions,  seems  to  be  more  nearly  accordant  with  the 


CONCURRENCE  OF  HOLY  DAYS.  153 

design  of  the  Church,  and  therefore  the  safest  way  of  resolv- 
ing the  difficulty.*  In  this,  however,  and  in  what  follov/s,  vvc 
beg  to  be  understood  as  merely  expressing  an  opinion,  such 
as  appears  to  us  most  reasonable,  on  a  view  of  the  question 
in  its  various  positions.  With  this  understanding,  thercforcN 
we  offer  the  following  observations  : — 

There  are  four  Sundays,  the  services  of  which  claim  pre- 
cadence  of  all  other  holy-days  which  may  happen  at  the  same 
time.  These  are,  Advent,  Easter,  Whitsunday,  and  Trinity. 
On  all  other  Sundays,  in  cases  of  concurrence,  the  festival 
should  take  precedence  of  the  Sunday  service. 

On  week  days,  Christmas,  Ash-Wednesday,  Good  Friday, 
Ascension,  and  perhaps  also  Epiphany  and  Passion-week, 
should  be  observed  in  preference  to  all  other  holy-days  coin- 
ciding with  them. 

In  all  other  supposable  cases  of  doubles  on  week  days, 
there  seems  to  be  no  other  alternative,  (till  the  proper  au- 
thorities  decide,)  than  to  estimate  the  relative  importance  of 
the  two  festivals  thus  coming  together.  As  a  general  rule, 
the  festivals  of  our  Lord  have  precedence  ;  hence,  should  St. 
Mark's  day  fall  on  Easter  Monday  or  Tuesday  ;  or  that  of 
St.  Barnabas  on  Monday  or  Tuesday  in  Whitsun-week,  they 
should  give  place  to  those  days  connected  with  the  history  of 
our  Lord  ;  for  "  in  these  cases,"  says  a  writer,  "  it  appears 
to  me  that  it  is  the  evident  intention  of  the  Church,  in  the 
first  instance,  to  call  our  attention  to  the  history  of  the  Pas- 
sion, and  in  the  other  to  the  Resurrection,  and  Descent  of  the 
Spirit,  and  therefore  the  saint's  day  ought  to  give  way."| 
The  same  reasoning  will  apply  to  the  case  of  the  Annuncia. 
tion  happening  in  Passion  week  ;  in  which  case,  there  being 
a  concurrence  of  two  days  commemorative  of  our  Lord,  it 


*  The  only  considerable  objection  to  this  would  be  the  occasional  intro- 
duction of  apocryphal  lessons  on  Sundays. 

t  British  Magazine,  1837,  [>  45u 


154  CON 

would  seem  that  the  claims  of  the  solemn  season  of  Passion 
week  should  have  the  precedence,  and  remain  uninter- 
rupted. 

CoNDiGNiTY,  and  CoNGRUiTY.  Tcrms  used  by  the  School- 
men, to  express  their  peculiar  opinions  relative  to  human 
merit  and  deserving. 

"  The  Scotists  maintain  that  it  is  possible  for  man  in  his 
natural  state  so  to  live  as  to  deserve  the  grace  of  God,  by 
which  he  may  be  enabled  to  obtain  salvation ;  this  natural 
fitness  (congruiias,)  for  grace,  being  such  as  to  oblige  the 
Deity  to  grant  it.     Such  is  the  merit  of  congruity." 

"  The  Thomists,  on  the  other  hand,  contend  that  man,  by 
the  Divine  assistance,  is  capable  of  so  living  as  to  merit  eter- 
nal life,  to  be  worthy  (condignus)  of  it  in  the  sight  of  God. 
In  this  hypothesis,  the  question  of  previous  preparation  for 
the  grace  which  enables  him  to  be  worthy,  is  not  introduced. 
This  is  the  merit  of  condignity."  * 

Confession.  1st.  The  penitent  acknowledgment  of  sins 
before  God.  '2d.  The  particular  forms  in  the  Liturgy,  in 
which  this  act  is  made.  3d.  The  public  ratification,  on  the 
part  of  candidates  for  Confirmation,  of  the  obligations  as- 
sumed for  them  in  baptism.  See  the  Preface  in  the  Order  of 
Confirmation.  4th.  A  public  declaration  of  faith,  &c.,  as 
the  Augsburg,  Westminster,  and  other  "Confessions." 

The  penitential  Confession,  at  the  opening  of  our  Liturgy, 
has  justly  been  considered  as  one  of  the  most  admirable  por- 
tions of  the  Church  service.  Its  position  is  at  the  beginning 
of  our  acts  of  worship,  because  repentance  and  its  evidence  in 
an  humble  confession,  are  indispensable  in  approaching  God's 
infinite  Majest;  .  The  langtiage  too,  is  in  unison  with  the 
object  of  this  form,  simple,  grave,  and  reverential.  The  scope 
is  such  as  to  meet  every  variety  of  circumstances  in  the 
worshipper.     It  does  not  descend  to  minute  particulars,  be- 

*  Professor  Whittingham.  in, Jewell's  Apology,  p.  8. 


CON  155 

cause  this  would  be  unsuitable  to  a  mixed  congregation.  Yet 
it  is  really  so  particular,  that  it  comprehends  sins  of  every 
possible  character.  Had  it  been  extended  so  as  to  embrace 
a  distinct  specification  of  sins,  in  all  their  number  and  mi- 
nuteness of  distinction,  a  volume  would  have  been  necessary 
for  the  purpose,  nay,  a  hundred  volumes  would  not  have  ex- 
hausted  the  catalogue.  And  more  than  this,  the  greater 
part  of  the  congregation  would  be  called  to  confess  sins,  of 
which  they  had  no  consciousness  of  being  guilty.  The  con- 
fession then,  is  sufficiently  particular.  It  gives  room,  under 
distinct  heads,  for  every  man  to  confess  "  the  plague  of  his 
own  heart ;  "  and  whatever  may  be  our  spiritual  infirmities,  we 
can,  with  little  mental  effort,  arrange  them  under  some  head 
of  the  confession  ;  and  thus,  by  stating  audibly  the  class  of 
the  offence,  we  can  in  our  own  minds,  bring  up  all  the  par- 
ticular sins  embraced  by  it,  of  which  we  feel  ourselves 
guilty. 

Confessional.  An  enclosed  seat,  recess,  or  small  apart- 
ment in  a  Romish  Church,  where  penitents  make  confession 
to  a  priest. 

Confessor.  This  title  was  given  in  tne  early  Church  to 
those  who,  by  the  confession  of  a  true  faith,  were  called  to 
endure  persecution,  without  actually  suffering  death.  This 
constitutes  the  distinction  between  confessors  and  martyrs. 

In  another  sense,  the  term  applies  to  priests  in  the  Romish 
and  other  Churches,  who  receive  the  confessions  of  penitents. 

Confirm.  To  establish,  strengthen,  and  invigorate,  as  in 
the  hymn,  "  Veni,  Creator  Spiritus," 

"  Our  weakness  strengthen  and  conjirm."  * 

Also  in  the  second  absolution  form,  "  confirm  and  strengthen 
you  in  all  goodness,"  &c. 

♦  Form  for  "  The  Ordering  of  Priests." 


156  CONFIRMATION. 

Confirmation.  The  Christian  Church,  with  her  sacra- 
ments and  ordinances,  stands  upon  the  foundation  of  the 
Apostles  and  Prophets,  Jesus  Christ  himself  being  the  chief 
corner-stone.  Upon  this  ground  we  place  the  rite  of  con- 
firmation. 

In  many  things  under  the  gospel,  the  pattern  of  the  pre- 
ceding dispensation  was  followed.  Thus,  baptism  succeeded 
in  the  place  of  circumcision,  and  the  Lord's  Supper  in  that 
of  the  Passover.  The  Jews  had  their  temple  and  syn- 
agogues :  we  have  our  Churches  for  the  worship  of  the  same 
Divine  Being.  Their  services  consisted  of  praise,  the  read- 
ing of  the  scriptures,  and  the  use  of  prescribed  forms  of 
prayer  ;  the  same  thing  prevails  with  us.  They  had  a  min- 
i  ;try  in  three  orders  ;  so  have  we.  But  we  follow  these,  not 
because  they  were  existent  in  the  Jewish  Church,  but  because 
they  were  re-enacted,  or  at  least  sanctioned  by  the  founders 
of  the  Christian  Church.  If  the  prototypes  of  hapdsm  and 
the  Lord^s  Supper  were  seen  in  the  Jewish  Church,  there 
also  we  find  a  rite  analogous  to  Confirmation.  We  are  told 
by  historians,  that  at  the  age  of  thirteen,  the  children  were 
"publicly  examined  before  the  congregation,  in  order  to, re- 
new the  covenant  which  their  parents  had  made  for  them  in 
their  infancy,  and  to  take  upon  themselves  their  obligations 
to  the  divine  law." 

That  Confirmation  was  practised  by  the  Apostles,  and 
familiarly  spoken  of  in  their  writipgs,  can  scarcely  be  doubted 
by  the  diligent  reader  of  the  New  Testament.  Let  attention 
be  turned,  for  example,  to  the  planting  of  the  Church  in  Sa- 
maria. Philip  the  Deacon  goes  down  to  that  city,  and  de- 
clares to  the  inhabitants,  Christ  and  the  resurrection.  The 
people  are  struck  with  the  power  of  his  doctrine,  and  amazed 
at  his  miracles.  They  profess  their  belief  in  Jesus,  and  both 
men  and  women  are  baptized  in  his  name,  and  there  is  great 
joy  throughout  that  city.  But  the  Apostles,  who  were  at 
Jerusalem,  learn  that  Samaria  has  received  the  word  of  God. 


CONFIRMATION.  157 

Upon  this  information,  Peter  and  John  are  sent  down  to  them, 
that  by  the  imposition  of  their  hands,  the  baptized  might  re. 
ceive  the  Holy  Ghost,  "  for  as  yet  he  was  fallen  upon  none 
of  them,  only  they  were  baptized  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus.  Then  laid  they  their  hands  on  them,  and  they  received 
the  Holy  Ghost."*  It  appears  then,  that  though  the  Sama- 
ritans were  converted  and  baptized  by  Philip  the  Deacon, 
yet  there  remained  "  something  for  their  furtherance  in  the 
faith,  which  Philip,  though  a  Minister  of  Christ,  and  clothed 
with  miraculous  power,  could  not  confer  upon  them."f 
From  this  fact,  then,  we  learn  two  things  ;  1st.  That  it  was 
necessary  for  these  converts  to  receive  "  the  laying  on  of 
hands."  2d.  That  this  could  only  be  performed  by  the 
Apostles :  and  therefore  among  us,  in  like  manner,  it  is  only 
administered  by  the  Bishops,  who  are  the  direct  successors 
of  the  Apostles.  The  objection  that  this  was  done  to  confer 
miraculous  power,  we  shall  consider  presently. 

Again ;  we  find  a  case  in  the  19th  Chapter  of  the  Acts, 
in  which  this  ordinance  was  administered  by  St.  Paul.  The 
Apostle  is  at  Ephesus,  and  finds  some  disciples  of  John  the 
Baptist.  Paul  baptizes  them  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
and  subsequently  lays  his  hands  on  them,  and  they  receive 
the  Holy  Ghost,  and  speak  with  tongues,  and  prophesy.  The 
same  Apostle  designates  the  laying  oq  of  hands  as  one  of  the 
first  principles  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  and  ranks  it  with 
l^entance,  faith,  baptism,  the  resurrection,  and  eternal 
judgment.  If  then  these  fundamental  points  are  binding  on 
Christians,  confirmation  must  be  so,  being  one  of  them.  And 
if  it  v/ere  not  of  divine  appointment,  it  would  seem  that  Paul 
was  guilty  of  "  teaching  for  doctrines  the  commandments  of 
men,"  which  is  not  to  be  imagined.  In  other  places  of  the 
New  Testament,  hints  respecting  this  rite  are  found.    "  Thus 


•  Acts  viii.  17*  t  Bishop  Ravenscroft. 

14 


158  CONFIRMATION. 

Paul  supposes  both  the  Corinthians  and  Ephesians  to  have 
been  all  partakers  of  this  holy  rite,  and  plainly  intimates, 
that  the  happy  effects  of  it  were,  being  '  established  in  Christ,' 
being  '  anointed  and  sealed  with  the  Holy  Spirit  of  promise,' 
and  having  '  an  earnest  of  the  Spirit  in  their  hearts.'  And 
that  all  these  expressions  refer  to  Confirmation  is  evident,  as 
well  from  comparing  them  together,  as  from  the  concurrent 
testimonies  of  several  ancient  fathers."  * 

To  this  evidence  from  Scripture,  may  be  added  the  prac- 
tice of  the  Church,  from  the  Apostles'  days  down  to  the  time 
of  the  Reformation,  a  period  of  1500  years,  during  which  it 
appears  that  Confirmation  was  universally  practised.  The 
consent  of  the  whole  Christian  world  for  so  long  a  period,  is 
enough  to  satisfy  any  reasonable  mind,  when  taken  in  con- 
nexion with  even  the  slightest  hints  in  Scripture.  It  is  on 
this  ground  that  we  receive  the  holy  Scriptures  as  divine  ; 
for  Scripture,  of  course,  cannot  prove  its  own  inspiration  : 
of  this,  we  must  have  external  evidence,  and  that  evidence  is 
undoubtedly  the  unanimous  testimony  of  the  Church.  By 
the  same  means  we  know  that  the  Sabbath  was  translated  to 
the  first  day  of  the  week ; — that  infants  were  baptized ; — 
that  females  were  admitted  to  the  Lord's  Supper  ;  and  many 
other  things  of  importance,  concerning  which  there  is  no 
scriptural  command,  and  independently  of  the  testimony  of 
the  Church,  we  should  be  left  to  the  vagueness  of  mere  in- 
ference and  conjecture.  In  respect  then  to  Confirmation* 
we  have,  as  above  stated,  the  testimony  and  practice  of  the 
whole  Church  for  about  1500  years,  and  that  of  perhaps  nine 
tenths  of  Christendom  for  300  years  more.  But  if  it  be 
thought  that  this  rite  is  merely  a  device  which  sprung  up  in 
the  corrupt  ages  of  the  Church,  and  therefore  can  be  of  no 
obligation  now  ;  let  the  ancient  fathers  reply,  who  lived  soon 
after  the  Apostles'  days.     Imagine   that  there  should   rise 

♦  Wbeatly. 


CONFIRMATION.  159 

from  the  grave,  and  stand  before  us,  a  minister  of  Christ, 
who   had   flourished  within  80  years  of  the  Apostle  John. 
How  earnestly  should  we  inquire  of  him  respecting  the  doc- 
trines and  customs  of  the  Church  in  his  day,  and  how  valua- 
ble should  we  esteem  any  information  he  might  communicate  ! 
We  should  be  conversing  with  one  who  was  doubtless  fami- 
liar  with  many  who  had  heard  the  Apostles   preach,  and 
could  remember  their  admonitions,  their  piety,  and  their  zeal. 
Now  just  such  an  one  was  Tertullxan,  whose  writings  are 
still  in  existence.     And  thus  he  speaks  of  Confirmation ; 
"  After  baptism,  is  the  laying  on  of  hands,  by  blessing  and 
prayer  inviting  the   Holy  Spirit,  who  graciously  descends 
from  the  Father,  upon  the  bodies  cleansed  and  blessed  by 
baptism."     Imagine  another,  a  Bishop  of  the  Church,  who 
lived  only  50  years  later,  and  was  eminent  for  his  learning 
and  piety.     Such  an  one  was  St.  Cyprian  ;  and  he  says,  in 
relation  to  the  confirmation  of  the  Samaritans  by  Peter  and 
John,  "  The  same  thing  is  done  among  us.     They  who  are 
baptized  are  brought  to  the  rulers  of  the  Church,  that  by  our 
prayer,  and  the  laying  on  of  our  hands,  they  may  obtain  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  be  perfected  with  the  seal  of  the  Lord." 
Let  us  summon  one  more  witness.     This  shall  be  St.  Je- 
rome, who  lived  about  250  or  300  years  after  the  time  of  St. 
John,  and  who  says,  "  As  for  those  who  are  baptized  afar  off 
in   the   lesser   towns  by   the  Presbyters  and    Deacons,  the 
Bishop  travels  out  to  them,  to  lay  hands  upon  them,  and  to 
invoke  the  Holy  Spirit."     Can  we  imagine  any  words  which 
more  accurately  describe  the  visitation  of  one  of  our  modern 
Bishops'?  And  yet,  these  words  were  penned  more  than  1400 
years  ago,  and  when  the  Church  was  in  a  state  of  purity  to 
which  we  might  look  with  some  respect.     From  the  Apostles' 
days,  therefore,  the  rite  of  confirmation  has  been  uniformly 
practised  in  the  Church,  for  all  ecclesiastical  history  declares 
it ;  and  inasmuch  as  it  was  an  apostolical  institution,  it  is  not 
a  matter  which  may  be  lightly  rejected. 


160  CONFIRMATION. 

At  the  time  of  the  Reformation  this  rite  was  purged  from 
certain  corruptions  which  had  gathered  around  it,  and  was 
then  retained  by  the  Church  of  England.  It  was  also  re- 
tained by  almost  all  the  Lutheran  Churches,  notwithstanding 
that  they  rejected  Episcopacy,  and  is  still  in  use  in  those 
Churches.  It  was  granted  also  by  many  eminent  Presbyte- 
rians, to  be  of  Apostolical  authority.  Such  was  the  opinion 
of  John  Calvin  himself,  and  of  Beza  his  colleague.  Dr. 
Owen  also  approved  of  Confirmation,  and  "acknowledged 
that  it  existed  in  the  Apostolical  Churches  ;"  and  in  many  of 
the  Presbyterian  societies  of  Europe  and  America,  a  strong 
feeling  has  been  manifested  in  favor  of  this  rite. 

But  it  is  objected,  that  by  the  laying  on  of  the  hands  of 
the  Apostles,  the  power  of  working  miracles  was  bestowed; 
and  that  this  was  what  is  meant  by  conferring  the  Holy 
Sx^xC^ ;  ";7h^rcao  V:t  CSn  pretend  to  no  such  power  ;— ergo, 
the  rite  of  confirmation  is  a  mere  form.  In  reply  to  this  it 
is  sufficient  to  say,  that  the  gifts  of  the  Spirit  are  various, 
and  the  power  of  working  miracles  is  but  one  of  those  gifts. 
The  Apostles  did  not  confer  this  power  on  all  who  received 
confirmation.  The  laying  on  of  hands  was  used  in  their  ordi. 
nations;  but  several  were  ordained  who  do  not  appear  to 
have  had  the  gift  of  miracles.  It  appears  that  on  some  were 
poured  out  the  ordinary,  and  on  others  the  ea;^m-ordinary 
gifts  of  the  Spirit,  and  all  by  the  imposition  of  hands.  The 
latter  of  these  ceased  after  the  Apostolic  age,  but  the  former 
are  vouchsafed  to  the  Church  till  the  end  of  time. 

To  those  who  are  disposed  to  undervalue  the  rite  of  con. 
firmation,  or  to  neglect  it  altogether,  we  have  this  much  to 
say,  viz.,  that  before  they  can  overthrow  the  obligation  of 
this  ordinance,  they  must  prove  that  Peter,  and  John,  and 
Paul,  knew  less  of  the  mind  of  Christ,  than  they  do  them- 
selves. That  though  inspired  men  estabhshed  this  rite  in 
the  Church,  yet  they  may  freely  receive  or  decline  it.  That 
though  it  repeatedly  appears  on  the  page  of  the  New  Testa. 


CON  161 

ment,  yet  every  such  notice  of  it  shall  be  to  them  a  blank. 
That  the  Ministers  of  the  primitive  Church  (who  universally 
practised  confirmation)  were  in  a  great  error,  though  taught 
and  ordained  by  the  Apostles.  And  that  the  laity,  whose 
parents,  at  least,  had  heard  the  gospel  preached  by  inspired 
men,  were  under  the  full  influence  of  the  same  mistake. 
And,  to  crown  this  catalogue  of  absurdities,  they  must  ac- 
knowledge that  from  the  day  of  Christ  down  to  the  present 
time,  though  this  rite  has  universally  prevailed  in  Apostolical 
Churches,  yet  it  is  entirely  without  foundation  ;  and  though 
millions  of  holy  men  have  received  it  as  originating  with  the 
Apostles  and  Christ  their  Master,  yet  they  were  all  deluded, 
and  submitted  to  a  mere  invention  of  man.  If  our  proofs  are 
worth  any  thing,  the  objector  must  be  brought  to  this  perilous 
dilemma.  On  which  side  lie  truth  and  safety,  let  conscience 
decide. 

"  Confounded."  Put  to  confusion  by  a  sense  of  sin,  or 
under  the  punishment  due  to  it.  The  word  is  of  frequent 
occurrence  in  the  Psalter,  and  is  also  found  in  the  last  verse 
of  the  Te  Deum.  The  following  instance  of  a  similar  use  of 
the  term,  is  from  Latimer,  "  What,  quoth  Cain,  am  I  set  to 
keep  my  brother  ?  I  cannot  tell  where  he  is.  But  at  last  he 
was  confounded,  and  his  murder  brought  to  light."* 

Congregation.  An  assembly  or  body  of  people.  The 
term  is  applied,  1st,  to  the  universal  Church  of  Christ,  as  in 
the  19th  article,  "  The  visible  Church  of  Christ  is  a  Congre- 
gation of  faithful  men,"  &c.  2d.  To  the  persons  present  on 
occasions  of  public  worship.  3d.  To  the  persons  composing 
the  actual  charge  of  a  Minister,  and  who  are  members  of  an 
individual  corporation  or  organization,  as  in  the  Office  of 
Institution  of  Ministers. 

CONGRTJITY.       See  CONDIGNITY. 


♦  Sermon  on  Covetousness. 


162  CONSECRATION. 

Consecration.  A  solemn  act  of  dedication  to  a  divine 
service  and  use. 

From  this  general  sense,  the  word  is  employed  to  desig- 
nate:— 1.  The  devotion  of  any  object  to  a  sacred  use  ;  as  in 
the  consecration  of  wealth,  talents,  influence,  &c.,  to  the  cause 
of  religion. 

2.  The  investing  of  any  worthy  object  with  peculiar  venera- 
tion and  respect. 

3.  The  dedication  of  Churches  and  other  places,  by  the 
Bishop,  to  the  service  of  the  Most  High,  by  separating  them 
*•  from  all  unhallowed,  ordinary,  and  common  uses,"  and  de- 
claring them  to  be  henceforth  sacred  to  Him  whose  name, 
presence,  and  blessing,  we  invoke. 

4.  The  act  of  conferring  the  office  of  a  Bishop.  The  term 
is  here  used  in  the  sense  of  ordaining,  with  which  it  was  an- 
ciently synonymous. 

5.  The  solemn  act  of  blessing,  and  invoking  the  divine 
presence  on  the  elements,  in  the  Eucharist.  This  is  per- 
formed by  the  Bishop  or  Priest,  in  that  part  of  the  Commu- 
nion office  called  the  "Prayer  of  Consecration." 

In  the  Consecration  of  Bishops,  though  the  act  itself  is 
really  performed  by  one  Bishop;  yet,  in  accordance  Avith  the 
customs  of  the  ancient  Church,  two  others  are  required  to  be 
associated  with  him  as  assistants.  The  first  Apostolic  Canon 
provides,  that  a  Bishop  shall  be  ordained  by  two  or  three 
Bishops.  This  was,  however,  simply  a  measure  of  security 
on  the  part  of  the  Church  ;  and  hence,  a  consecration  by  a 
single  Bishop  would  be  valid,  though  not  canonical.  "  Lest," 
says  a  writer,  "by  any  extraordinary  casualty,  some  one 
Bishop  should  surreptitiously  intrude  himself  into  the  office, 
the  Church  has  taken  care,  that  his  irregularity  should  not 
descend  to  those  at  whose  ordination  he  concurred,  by  requir- 
ing, that  no  Bishop  should  be  ordained,  except  in  case  of  ne- 
cessity, but  by  three,  or  -two  at  the  least;  that  so,  if  it  should 
chance  that  one  of  them  was  not  canonically  ordained,  yet 


CON  163 

still  there  might  be  two,  or  at  least  one,  against  whom  there 
could  lie  no  exceptions ;  and  if  but  one  of  the  ordainers  were 
really  a  Bishop,  I  see  no  reason  to  doubt,  but  that  the  or- 
dained was  so  too." "  There  is  no  necessity,  except 

what  proceeds  from  Canon  law,  for  above  one ;  for  'tis  evi- 
dent that  one  Apostle  might,  and  did  ordain  a  Bishop ;  as  for 
instance,  St.  John  ordained  Euodius  and  Ignatius  ;  St.  Paul, 
Clement ;  and  by  parity  of  reason,  one  of  their  successors 
might  do  the  same."* 

"  Consented  together  in  Holy  Wedlock.''''  Seethe  Of- 
fice for  Matrimony.  Reference  is  here  made  not  only  in 
general  to  that  mutual  consent  which  lies  at  the  foundation  of 
marriage,  but  also  to  a  former  part  of  the  service,  in  which 
this  consent  was  publicly  declared  : — "  Wilt  thou  have  this 
woman?"  &c. 

CoNSTANTiNopoLiTAN  Creed.  See  Creed,  Nicene. 

"  Constantly  believe."  The  word  '•  constantly^''  as  here 
used,  not  only  m.eans  always,  or  through  the  entire  life,  but 
firmly,  sincerely,  and  with  full  purpose  of  heart ;  i.  e.  with 
constancy. 

Constitution.  A  body  of  general  principles,  set  forth  in 
each  Diocese,  as  the  ground-work  of  its  organization  and  legis- 
lation  ;  and  also  by  the  General  Convention,  with  the  same  ob- 
jects in  reference  to  the  Church  at  larg^in  the  United  States. 

CoN§UBSTANTiAL.  Of  the  Same  substance  or  essence. 
The  term  is  used  in  theological  writings,  to  express  that 
oneness  and  sameness  of  substance  which  belongs  to  the 
Father  and  the  Son.  In  the  Scriptures,  the  word  does  not 
occur,  though  the  truth  which  it  covers  most  certainly  does. 
Its  introduction  into  the  language  of  the  Church,  may  be  dated 
from  the  Council  of  Nice,  A.  D.  325,  at  which  time,  through 
the  spread  of  Arianism,  it  became  necessary  to  guard  the 
orthodox  faith  by  more  strict  terms  than  those  of  the  Apos- 


*  Johnson  on  the  Canonical  Codes. 


164  CON 

ties'  Creed.  Hence  the  rise  of  what  is  called  the  Nicene 
Creed,  in  which  we  find  the  phrase  "  of  one  substance  [con- 
substantial]  with  the  Father  ;" — a  definition  respecting  the 
Son  of  God,  which  the  heterodox  Arians  would  not  brook,  in- 
asmuch as  it  asserted  in  the  most  unequivocal  manner  the 
Supreme  Deity  of  Christ,  a  revealed  truth  which,  under  shel- 
ter of  less  decisive  terms,  they  had  before  this  managed  to 
evade. 

CoNsuBSTANTiATiON.  The  Opinion  of  the  Lutheran  Church, 
that  in  the  Eucharist,  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ  are  actu- 
ally present,  together  tvith  the  substance  of  the  bread  and 
wine.  The  difference  between  this,  and  the  views  of  the 
Church  of  Rome,  may  be  seen  by  comparing  the  opinion 
here  expressed  with  transubstantiation. 

"Consummation,  perfect."  The  full  completion,  end,  or 
accomplishment  of  any  event  or  thing.  The  expression  oc- 
curs in  one  of  the  prayers  near  the  end  of  the  Burial  service, 
thus : — "  that  we,  with  all  those  who  are  departed  in  the  true 
faith  of  thy  holy  name,  may  have  our  ferfect  consummation 
and  bliss,  both  in  soul  and  body,  in  thy  eternal  and  everlast- 
ing glory."  The  allusion  is,  obviously,  to  the  doctrine  of  an 
intermediate  state,  in  which  the  souls  of  the  righteous,  being 
separated  from  the  body,  do  not,  and  indeed  cannot,  enjoy 
that  fulness  of  bliss  ^hich  will  be  the  reward  of  the  faithful 
after  the  resurrection,  when  the  spiritual  body,  purified  from 
all  corruption,  and  endowed  with  immortality,  will  share  in 
the  fruition  of  endless  bliss.  The  attainment  of  this  perfect 
consummation  of  happiness,  by  the  united  enjoyments  of  the 
soul  and  the  glorified  body,  is  doubtless  a  legitimate  object  of 
prayer,  and  one  which  must  nerve  the  Christian  with  strong 
and  sublime  anticipations  of  the  glory  "  hereafter  to  be  re- 
vealed," when  we  and  all  who  have  served  God  faithfully, 
shall  be  exalted  to  that  state  where  "  there  shall  be  no  more 
death." 

Convention.     A  Council  or  Synod  of  the  Church,  assem- 


CONVENTION.  165 

bled  for  the  transaction  of  ecclesiastical  business,  and  consist- 
ing of  delegates  from  both  Clergy  and  Laity. 
Of  these,  there  are  in  the  American  Church  : — 

1.  The  Gc7ieral  Convention,  which  meets  'once  in  three 
3-ears,  "in  such  place  as  shall  be  determined  by  the  Conven- 
tion." In  this  Convention  are  ordinarily  two  houses,  viz  : — 
the  House  of  Bishops,  which,  "  when  there  are  three  or  more, 
shall  ********  form  a  separate 
house,  with  a  right  to  originate  and  propose  acts,"  &c. 
But  in  case  of  there  not  being  three  or  more  Bishops, 
"any  Bishop  attending  a  General  Convention  shall  be  a 
member  ex  officio,  and  shall  vote  with  the  clerical  deputies  of 
the  state  to  which  he  belongs."  The  other  house  is  that  of 
Clerical  and  Lay  Deputies,  consisting  of  a  representation  of 
Clergy  and  Laity,  not  to  exceed  four  of  each  for  a  Diocese, 
chosen  by  the  Convention  of  the  Diocese  they  represent. 

Before  proceeding  to  business,  it  is  necessary  that  the 
Church  shall  be  represented  by  a  majority  of  the  states  which 
have  adopted  the  General  Constitution  of  the  Church. 

A  Special  General  Convention  may  be  called  on  urgent 
occasion,  by  the  presiding  Bishop,  "  provided  that  the  sum- 
mons shall  be  with  the  consent  or  on  the  requisition  of  a 
majority  of  the  Bishops,  expressed  to  him  in  writing."  * 

2.  Diocesan  Conventions.  These  meet  annually  in  each 
Diocese,  on  business  pertaining  to  their  respective  Dioceses 
alone,  unless  in  cases  where,  by  the  General  Convention, 
their  separate  action  is  required  on  some  point  of  wider 
interest. 

A  Diocesan  Convention  consists  of  the  Bishop,  with  his 
Clergy,  and  a  lay  representation  from  each  parish  in  union 
with  the  Convention.  The  qualifications  required  to  ^entitle 
to  a  seat  and  vote  in  these  Conventions,  are  regulated  by  the 


♦  Canon  XLIX.  of  the  General  Convention. 


166  CON 

Canons  of  the  various  Dioceses,   and  differ  according  to  the 
circumstances  and  usages  of  the  Diocese  enacting  them. 

Special  Diocesan  Conventions  may  be  held  on  the  summons 
of  the  Bishop,  and  in  conformity  with  the  local  Canons. 

"  Conversation."  Used  in  the  Prayer-book,  and  also  in  the 
Bible,  not  for  talk  and  familiar  discourse,  &c.,  but  for  the 
general  mode  and  habit  of  life.  In  the  forms  for  the  Order- 
ing  of  Deacons  and  Priests,  the  word  occurs  with  this  broader 
significaticMi,  thus  :  "  Take  heed  that  the  persons  whom  ye 
present  unto  us,  be  apt  and  meet  for  their  learning  and  godly 
conversation,  to  exercise  their  Ministry,"  &c.  It  will  hardly 
be  supposed  that  by  the  words  ^^  godly  conversation,^^  the 
Church  here  means  a  facility  in  discoursing  on  religious  sub- 
jects ;  for  though  a  certain  fluency  of  utterance  is  no  de- 
spisable  thing,  yet  it  is,  at  the  same  time,  no  trustworthy 
argument  either  of  piety  or  uncommon  intelligence,  being,  like 
the  rain,  a  gift  that  falleth  on  both  the  evil  and  the  good. 
The  phrase  evidently  refers  not  to  this,  but  to  that  "  godly, 
righteous,  and  sober  life,"  in  all  its  acts  and  aims,  to  which 
all  the  disciples  of  Christ  should  aspire,  and  more  especially 
those  who  in  the  Ministry  are  to  be  living  witnesses  of  the 
truth,  "known  and  read  of  all  men." 

Conversion  of  St.  Paul.  A  holy-day  is  set  apart  by  the 
Church  for  the  celebration  of  this  event. 

"St.  Paul  is  not  commemorated,  as  the  other  Apostles  are, 
by  his  death  or  martyrdom,  but  by  his  conversion,  which  was 
wonderful  in  itself,  and  highly  beneficial  to  the  Church  of 
Christ.  For  whilst  the  other  Apostles  had  their  particular 
provinces,  he  had  the  care  of  all  the  Churches,  and  by  his 
indefatigable  labors  contributed  very  much  to  the  propaga- 
tion of  the  Gospel  throughout  the  world." 

Convocation.  In  the  Church  of  England,  "  an  assembly 
of  the  representatives  of  the  Clergy,  to  consult  of  ecclesias- 
tical matters  in  time  of  parliament ;  and  summoned  by  each 
Archbishop  in  his  peculiar  province,  in  consequence  of  a  writ 


COR  167 

directed  to  him  by  the  king  before  the  meeting  of  every  new 
parhament.  It  consists  of  two  houses,  the  higher  or  upper 
house,  where  the  Archbishops  and  all  the  Bishops  sit  sever- 
ally  by  themselves  ;  and  the  other,  the  lower  house  of  con- 
vocation,  where  all  the  rest  of  the  clergy  sit,  i.  e.,  all  deans 
and  archdeacons,  one  proctor  for  each  chapter,  and  two  proc- 
tors for  all  tho  parochial  clergy  of  each  diocese,  making  in 
the  whole  number  166  persons ;  but  on  account  of  the  small 
number  of  dioceses  in  the  province  of  York,  each  archdea- 
conry elects  two  proctors.  In  York,  the  convocation  con- 
sists  only  of  one  house  ;  but  in  Canterbury  there  are  two 
houses,  of  which  the  22  Bishops  form  the  upper  house  ;  and 
before  the  Reformation,  abbots,  priors,  and  other  mitred  pre- 
lates sat  with  the  Bishops.  The  lower  house  of  convocation, 
in  the  province  of  Canterbury,  consists  of  144  members,  viz., 
22  deans,  53  archdeacons,  24  proctors  for  the  chapters,  and 
44  proctors  for  the  parochial  clergy." 

"  The  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  is  the  president  of  the 
convocation,  and  prorogues  and  dissolves  it  by  mandate  from 
the  king."* 

The  term  "  Convocation  "  is  applied,  in  several  Dioceses 
of  the  United  States,  to  certain  monthly  or  other  periodical 
meetings  of  the  Clergy,  for  the  purpose  of  mutual  conference, 
the  holding  of  public  services,  and  the  devising  and  execution 
of  plans  for  the  extension  of  the  Church.  The  organized 
body  formed  by  these  Clergy,  is  known  by  the  same  name. 

Corpus  Christi.  The  body  of  Christ.  In  the  Church  of 
Rome,  an  annual  festival,  with  this  name,  is  observed  on  the 
Thursday  after  Trinity  Sunday.  Its  design  is  to  commemo- 
rate the  corporal  presence  of  Christ  in  the  Holy  Eucharist. 
Dr.  Webster  has  fallen  into  an  error  in  defining  this  to  be 
"  a  festival  of  the  Church  of  England     *     *     *     j^^  honor  of 


*  Laws  relating  to  the  Clergy. 


168  COR 

the  Eucharist."    The  Church  of  England  has  no  sucli  festival, 
having  abrogated  it  at  the  Reformation. 

"  Corrupt  following."  In  the  25th  Article  of  Religion  it 
is  said,  that  "  Those  five  commonly  called  Sacraments,  that  is 
to  say,  Confirmation,  Penance,  Orders,  Matrimony,  and  Ex- 
treme Unction,  are  not  to  be  counted  for  sacraments  of  the 
Gospel,  being  such  as  have  grown  partly  of  the  corrupt  fol- 
lowing  of  the  Apostles,  partly  are  states  of  life  allowed  by  the 
Scriptures,"  &c.  From  this,  an  objection  has  sometimes 
been  made  against  the  rite  of  Confirmation,  as  having  arisen 
from  "  the  corrupt  following  of  the  Apostles,"  and  thus  it  is 
concluded  that  if  the  Church  had  correctly  and  wisely  fol- 
lowed their  example.  Confirmation  would  not  have  been  prac- 
tised and  held  in  its  present  estimation. 

The  answer  to  the  objection  is  this.  The  Article  referred 
to  is  on  the  "  Sacraments,''^  and  it  declares  that  these  are  two 
in  number,  viz.,  "  Baptism,  and  the  Supper  of  the  Lord."  But 
inasmuch  as  the  Romanists  hold  that  there  are  five  others, 
viz.,  Confirmation,  Penance,  Orders,  (fee,  the  Article  goes  on 
to  say,  that  "  these  are  not  to  be  counted  for  Sacraments  of 
the  Gospel."  And,  having  stated  this,  the  next  point  was  to 
show  how  they  came  to  be  regarded  as  Sacraments  in  the 
Romish  Church,  viz.,  "partly  of  the  corrupt  following  of  the 
Apostles,  partly  are  states  of  life  allowed  by  the  Scriptures,'* 
that  is,  part  of  them,  as  Confirmation,  Penance,  and  Extreme 
Unction,  have  been  exalted  to  the  rank  of  Sacraments  by  the 
Romanists,  through  their  mistaken  imitation  of  the  Apostles, 
who  never  counted  them  as  Sacraments  ;  and  the  other  part 
of  them,  viz..  Orders  and  Matrimony,  are  "states  of  life 
allowed  by  the  Scriptures,  but  yet  have  not  like  nature  of 
Sacraments  with  baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper,  for  that 
they  have  not  any  visible  sign  or  ceremony  ordained  of 
God." 

From  this  it  will  appear  that  the  Article  does  not  assert 
that  Confirmation  came  through  the  "  corrupt  following  "  of  the 


COTT  169 

Apostles ;  but  that  by  these  means  the  Romanists  came  to 
hold  it  as  a  Sacrament,  which  it  is  not.  The  whole  matter 
may  be  thus  stated.  The  Episcopal  Church,  by  the  riglit 
following  of  the  Apostles,  holds  confirmation  to  be  an  A'pos- 
iolical  ordinance.  But  the  Romanists,  by  the  corrupt  follow- 
ing of  the  Apostles,  regard  confirmation  as  a  Sacrament. 

Council.  The  Councils  of  the  ancient  Church  were  as- 
semblies of  Bishops,  called  together  at  stated  times  or  on 
occasions  of  emergency,  to  secure,  by  their  decisions,  the  in- 
tegrity of  Christian  doctrine, — to  frame  Canons  for  the  go- 
vernment  of  the  Church, — to  settle  controversies  and  heal 
disorders, — and  to  deliberate  on  all  questions  in  which  the 
interccsts  of  the  Church  were  concerned. 

These  Councils,  though  formed  of  Bishops,  did  not  exclude 
the  inferior  orders  of  the  Clergy,  nor  refuse  their  advice  and 
co-operation  on  disputed  questions.  On  some  occasions  the 
same  privilege  was  also  allowed  to  the  more  distinguished 
members  of  the  laity. 

Councils  are  usually  considered  as  General  or  Provincial. 
A  General  Council,  to  which  the  name  of  (Ecumenical  is  also 
applied,  consisted  of  a  representation  by  Bishops,  from  the 
Churches  in  every  part  of  the  world,  and  their  acts  were  re- 
ceived as  authoritative  by  the  universal  Church.  These  were 
of  rather  infrequent  occurrence,  and  formed  the  most  august 
and  solemn  tribunal  of  the  Church. 

The  Provincial  Councils  were  composed  of  the  Bishops 
of  a  province,  or  other  local  division  of  the  Church.  By  the 
Canons,  these  were  required  to  assemble  at  least  twice  every 
year.  Their  acts  had  force  only  in  the  district  represented 
by  the  Council. 

To  the  decisions  of  the  first  four  General  Councils,  respect 
has  always  been  shown  by  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 
These  were,  1.  The  Council  of  Nice,  assembled  A.  D.  325. 
2.  The  Council  of  Constantinople,  A.  D.  381.  3.  That  of 
Ephesus,  A.  D.  431.     And  4.  That  of  Chalcedon,  A.  D.  451. 

15 


170  CEE 

The  leading  decisions  of  all  these,  were  directed  against 
the  errors  on  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  advanced  by  the 
Allans,  the  Macedonians,  the  Nestorians,  and  the  Eutychians. 

The  twenty-first  of  the  thirty-nine  Articles,  is  on  "  The 
Authority  of  General  Councils."  Its  omission  in  the  Amer- 
ican Prayer-book  was  grounded  on  the  two-fold  objection, 
1st,  that  its  provisions  were  useless  to  a  Church  not  in  con- 
nection with  the  civil  government ;  and  2d,  that  every  thing 
in  it  of  any  value  to  us,  is  stated  in  nearly  the  same  words  in 
Article  VI. 

In  the  Church  in  the  United  States,  the  term  "  Council "  is 
used  in  reference  to  a  General  or  Diocesan  Convention,  as  in 
the  Prayer  for  Conventions,  &c. 

Creed.  From  Credo,  I  believe.  A  concise  summary 
of  Scripture  doctrine,  set  forth  under  the  authority  of  the 
Church. 

The  necessity  and  use  of  Creeds  arises  from  the  fact,  that 
while  our  rule  of  faith  is  Holy  Scripture,  revelation  does  not 
come  to  us  in  the  form  of  a  methodical  and  distinctly  arranged 
body  of  divinity.  The  Bible  nowhere  professes  to  be  a  book 
regularly  laid  out,  in  which  different  points  of  doctrine  are 
discussed  in  separate  chapters  and  treatises ;  but  we  find  it 
composed  of  writings  in  which  all  the  points  of  our  faith  are 
mingled  together,  and  regarded  as  established  focts,  without 
the  parade  of  constant  argument  and  logical  analysis.  That 
there  are  some  exceptions  to  this,  is  not  to  be  denied ;  the 
Epistle  to  the  Romans,  for  example,  being  in  the  main,  a  dis- 
course on  justification  by  faith  ;  and  part  of  the  Epistle  to 
the  Hebrews,  being  a  defence  of  the  Divinity  of  Jesus  Christ. 
But  as  a  general  rule,  the  Bible  is  not  a  systematic  work. 
While  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel  are  all  included  in  it,  they 
are  blended  together,  or  scattered  at  large  over  the  whole 
volume.  Hence  it  has  always  been  thought  expedient  to  draw 
out  these  various  doctrines,  and  arrange  them  in  a  short  and 
luminous  catalogue,  that  every  one  may  see,  at  a  glance,  what 


CREED.  171 

is  taught  as  certain  truth,  to  be  believed  and  acted  upon  by  the 
disciples  of  Christ, 

The  inquiry  is  sometimes  made,  why  we  attach  any  real 
importance  to  a  Creed,  if  we  believe  the  Bible  to  be  our  rule 
of  faith  ?  Why  not  declare  simply,  that  the  doctrines  we 
hold  are  those  of  the  Scriptures,  rather  than  appeal  to  the 
Apostles'  or  any  other  Creed?  The  answer  brings  us  to 
another  use  of  Creeds,  and  is  this.  All  men  ivill  not  interpret 
Scripture  rightly,  and  thus  the  truth  must  suffer,  unless  some 
guide  or  check  be  provided.  The  mere  declaration  of  our 
belief  in  the  Bible,  conveys  no  definite  impression  of  our 
views.  Take,  for  example,  an  Episcopalian,  a  Presbyterian, 
a  Baptist,  and  a  Unitarian,  and  ask  them,  what  is  their  rule  of 
faith  %  They  will  all  refer  to  the  Bible  ;  and  yet  how  variant 
are  their  doctrinal  views !  The  first  three  contend,  that 
Jesus  Christ  is  God,  of  the  same  essence  with  the  Father  ; 
while,  on  the  contrary,  the  Unitarian  asserts  that  he  is  only 
man.  The  Churchman  reads  in  the  Bible  that  Christ  died 
for  the  sins  of  the  ivhole  world,  and  that  God  would  have  all 
men  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth,  and  be  saved.  But 
the  Presbyterian  (if  he  believe  the  Westminster  Confession) 
is  of  another  opinion,  holding  that  God,  without  any  foresight 
of  faith  and  good  works,  has  elected  a  certain  number  to 
eternal  life,  and  abandoned  the  rest  to  sure  and  everlasting  ruin. 
Now  all  these  claim  the  Bible  as  the  proof  of  their  doctrines  ; 
but  they  differ  in  their  interpretation  of  it.  The  Creed  there- 
fore, being  a  representation  of  the  doctrines  of  Christianity, 
as  believed  and  held  in  the  earliest  ages  of  the  Church,  when 
the  truth,  as  taught  by  the  Apostles,  was  fresh  and  bright  in 
the  minds  of  all  men,  is  of  incalculable  service  in  the  pre- 
servation of  sound  views  of  the  Gospel — such  views  as  will 
stand  the  test  of  the  judgment  day. 

To  Creeds  of  modern  invention,  we  attach  no  kind  of  im- 
portance, because  they  are  not  tests  of  the  primitive  faith. 
But   the  Apostles'   and  Nicene  Creeds,  being  declarations 


172  CRE 

sanctioned  by  the  consent  of  the  universal  Church,  and  ever 
held  in  esteem  as  the  safeguards  of  truth,  we  continue  reve- 
rently to  receive  ;  not  exalting  them  to  the  place  of  Scripture, 
but  venerating  them  as  authoritative  statements  of  the  true 
meaning  of  Scripture.     See  Church. 

Creed,  Apostles'.  The  Apostles'  Creed  is  a  summary  of 
Christian  doctrine,  which  has  been  received  by  the  Church 
universal,  from  the  earliest  ages.  The  title  has  been  variously 
accounted  for.  There  is  an  ancient  tradition  that  this  Creed 
was  actually  framed  by  the  Apostles,  each  furnishing  an  ar- 
ticle, until  the  whole  was  completed.  But  this  is  for  the  most 
part  regarded  as  a  fable  ;  and  probably  took  its  rise  from  the 
name  of  Symbolum  or  Symbol,  sometimes  given  to  this 
Creed,-  a  name  derived  from  a  Greek  word,  signifying  a  throw- 
ing  or  casting  together.  It  is  more  likely  that  this  Creed  is 
so  called,  from  its  consisting  of  doctrines  taught  by  the 
Apostles,  though  the  exact  words  may  not  be  retained. 
It  was  customary  among  the  early  Christians  to  make  a  free 
use  of  the  title  "  Apostolic."  Thus,  any  Church  in  which  an 
Apostle  had  personally  taught,  especially  if  he  had  ministered 
there  for  any  considerable  time,  was  denominated  an  Apos- 
tolic  Church.  For  example,  the  Churches  of  Jerusalem, 
Corinth,  Ephesus,  Antioch,  and  Rome,  were  all  called 
Apostolic  Churches.  In  the  course  of  years,  the  Bishops, 
with  their  Sees,  and  the  Christian  faith,  obtained  the  same 
appellation,  and  eventually  this  was  given  to  the  Creed  itself. 

We  have  strong  reason  for  believing,  that  in  the  very 
earliest  days  of  the  Church,  the  Apostles'  Creed  was  in  use ; 
for  Irenseus,  who  was  taught  by  Polycarp,  a  disciple  of  St. 
John,  gives  a  creed  similar  to  this,  and  says  that  "  the  Church 
dispersed  throughout  the  whole  world,  had  received  this  faith 
from  the  Apostles  and  their  disciples."  Tertullian  also,  who 
lived  about  a  hundred  years  after  the  Apostles,  gives  a  creed 
of  the  same  character,  and  says  that  it  had  been  in  use  "  as  a 
rule  of  faith  in  the  Church,  from  the  beginning  of  the  Gospel.** 


CREED,   apostles'.  173 

Originally,  the  Creed  had  fewer  articles  than  at  present ; 
for  in  the  copies  as  given  hy  these  writers,  the  descent  into 
hell,  the  communion  of  saints,  and  the  life  everlasting,  are 
not  included.  These  were  points,  however,  fully  believed  by 
the  early  Christians,  but  were  not  embodied  in  the  Creed 
until  the  third  or  fourth  century,  when  this  became  necessary, 
to  counteract  some  doctrinal  errors,  which  at  that  time  dis- 
turbed  the  peace  of  the  Church.  The  whole  Creed  is 
found  in  the  works  of  St.  Ambrose,  who  flourished  A.  D. 
374,  and  in  the  works  of  other  writers  of  the  same  age. 

It  deserves  remark,  that  at  the  period  of  the  Reformation, 
all  the  reformed  Churches  retained  the  Creed,  and  several  of 
them  incorporated  it  into  their  liturgies.  In  the  Church  of 
England  it  was  made  a  part  of  the  pubhc  service,  as  it  had 
been  for  many  ages  before.  When  the  book  of  Common 
Prayer  underwent  a  revision  in  the  American  Church,  the 
Apostles'  Creed  was  retained,  and  we  recite  it  on  occasions 
of  public  worship,  thus  declaring  our  faith  in  the  very  words 
which  have  dwelt  on  the  lips  of  the  earliest  disciples  of  the 
Redeemer. 

Apart  from  its  use  as  a  standard  of  orthodoxy,  the  Creed 
may  be  viewed  as  a  fountain  of  warm  devotional  feeling.  In 
the  words  of  one  who  well  knew  its  value,  "  It  is  the  watch- 
word of  Christian  soldiers — the  cheering  exclamation  of  the 
Christian  army,  transmitted  from  rank  to  rank,  from  the  fel- 
lowship of  the  Apostles,  and  the  army  of  martyrs,  down  to  our 
time.  It  has  animated  the  whole  Christian  host ;  and  if  \^e 
yield  to  the  holy  sympathetic  feeling,  we  surely  must  catch  a 
portion  of  their  devout  zeal,  as  we  repeat  this  symbol  of  the 
truth.  It  is  the  Gospel  in  epitome  ;  and  though  it  will  not 
suffice  without  the  Gospel  in  detail,  yet  it  cannot  but  bring 
to  our  grateful  recollection,  the  great  doctrines  which  we 
love — in  which  we  now  walk — in  which  we  hope  to  die. 

"  On  every  account,  therefore,  we  should  prize  this  sum- 
mary of  our  faith ; — not  with  superstitious  veneration  for  it, 

15* 


174  CEE 

merely  because  it  is  ancient — but  with  great  deference,  be- 
cause though  ancient,  its  authority  is  not  shaken  by  all  the 
inquiries  of  after  ages.  We  should  prize  it,  because,  instead 
of  being  the  cant  language  of  a  sect,  it  is  the  mighty  asser- 
tion of  the  faith  of  the  Church  Catholic.  We  should  prize 
it  as  the  grandest  offering  of  praise  uttered  by  the  faithful ; — 
for  a  confession  of  the  whole  Gospel  is,  in  this  act,  sent  up  as 
incense  to  the  Eternal  Jehovah,  Three  in  One." 

Creed,  Athanasian.  A  Creed  of  very  considerable  an- 
tiquity, still  retained  in  the  Prayer-book  of  the  Church  of 
England,  and  appointed  to  be  used  on  certain  Sundays  and 
other  holy-days. 

Its  name  is  derived  from  St.  Athanasius ;  but  that  it  was 
actually  written  by  him,  is  far  from  being  either  certain  or 
probable.  By  Dr.  Waterland  its  composition  is  referred  to 
Hilary,  Archbishop  of  Aries,  who  flourished  about  A.  D.  480. 
The  same  author  remarks,  "  that  we  cannot  assign  a  later 
period  than  the  year  880  for  the  introduction  of  this  creed 
into  th^  office  of  prime  by  the  English  Churches ;  but  we 
have  no  reason  to  think  that  it  may  not  have  been  used  long 
before  that  date.  It  is  not  found  in  MS.  Psalters  of  the  7th 
and  8th  centuries."* 

The  Athanasian  Creed  consists  of  a  summary  of  the  Ca- 
tholic  faith,  expressed  in  terms  exceedingly  strong  and  pre- 
cise. Much  the  larger  part  is  occupied  with  an  elaborate 
statement  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  with  particular 
reference  to  the  Divinity  and  Personality  of  the  Son  and 
Holy  Ghost.  The  whole  begins  and  closes  with  declarations 
in  nearly  the  same  terms,  that  "  this  is  the  Catholic  Faith  ; 
which  except  a  man  believe  faithfully,  he  cannot  be  saved.'* 

The  strong  language  of  this  Creed,  with  its  repeated  de- 
nunciations, though  vindicated  and  explained  by  the  English 
ritualists,  procured  its  rejection  from  the  American  Prayer- 


♦  Cited  by  Palmer  in  Origines  Liturgicse,  I.  p.  234. 


CRO  175 

book,  by  the  General  Convention  of  1789.  The  proceedings 
in  relation  to  it,  may  be  seen  in  Bishop  White's  Memoirs  of 
the  Church. 

Creed,  Constantinopolitan.     See  Creed,  Nicene. 

Creed,  Nicene.  Sometimes  called  the  Constantinopolitan 
Creed.  "  This  creed  was  chiefly  composed  by  the  orthodox 
Fathers  of  the  first  general  council  of  Nice,  A.  D.  325,  to 
define  the  Christian  faith,  in  opposition  to  the  heresy  of  Arius. 
As  sanctioned  by  this  assembly,  it  ended  with  "  I  believe  in 
the  Holy  Ghost ;"  the  remainder  was  added  by  the  second 
general  council,  held  at  Constantinople,  A.  D.  391,  in  which 
the  heresy  of  Macedonius,  with  regard  to  the  divinity  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  was  condemned.  In  the  5th  century,  the  western 
Churches  added  to  this  creed  the  words  Jilioque,  in  conformity 
with  the  doctrine,  that  the  Holy  Spirit  proceeds /rom  the  Son, 
as  well  as  from  the  Father."* 

In  the  English  Prayer-boak,  the  Nicene  Creed  occurs  only 
in  the  Communion  Office  ;  but  in  the  American  revision  it 
has  been  placed  with  the  Apostles'  Creed,  in  the  Order  of 
Morning  and  Evening  Prayer,  the  Minister  having  liberty  to 
use  either  of  them  in  the  ordinary  services,  and  also  in  the 
Administration  of  the  Communion,  when  necessary. 

Crosier,  or  Crozier.  A  Bishop's  pastoral  staffer  crook. 
In  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States,  this, 
with  the  mitre,  dec,  have  grown  into  disuse.  It  was  formerly 
considered  as  an  emblem  of  jurisdiction,  and  pastoral  autho- 
rity.  In  form  it  resembled  the  well-known  shepherd's  crook, 
the  head  being  frequently  decorated  with  elaborate  work- 
manship. It  was  for  many  ages  always  'presented  to  a 
Bishop  on  receiving  his  consecration,  and  indicated  that  he 
was  then  constituted  a  shepherd  over  the  flock  of  Christ, 
The  Bishop's  crosier  was  always  carried  in  the  left  hand. 

Cross.     As  our  Savior  Christ  suffered  death  on  the  cross, 

*  Origlnes  Liturgicae,  II.  p.  54. 


176  CROSS. 

for  man's  redemption,  the  Church  has,  in  all  ages,  considered 
this  instrument  of  death  as  the  most  appropriate  emblem  or 
symbol  of  the  Christian  religion. 

In  ancient  times,  the  figure  of  a  cross,  made  of  wood  or 
stone,  was  in  common  use  as  a  Church  ornament,  &c.,  being 
frequently  placed  on  steeples,  towers,  pinnacles,  and  the 
summit  of  arches  and  roofs  ;  besides  being  interwoven  with 
all  the  curious  and  beautiful  forms  of  Gothic  ornament  in  the 
interior  of  Churches  and  sacred  places. 

So  long  as  the  cross  was  viewed  simply  as  the  sign  of  our 
religion,  no  possible  evil  could  result  from  its  use,  and  it 
might  even  have  served  the  valuable  purpose  of  constantly 
putting  Christians  in  mind  of  the  sacrifice  which  was  made 
for  them  by  the  precious  biood-shedding  of  the  Redeemer. 
But  in  the  course  of  time,  it  came  to  be  grievously  abused, 
(Uke  many  other  harmless  things,)  to  superstitious  and  unholy 
purposes  ;  the  consequence  of  which  has  been  the  exclusion 
of  it,  in  a  great  measure,  from  almost  all  Protestant  Churches. 
The  proper  and  innocent  use  of  the  cross  as  an  architectural 
ornament,  and  as  an  emblematical  decoration  on  Church 
books,  pulpit  trimmings,  &c.,  has  still  been  retained  in  the 
Episcopal  Church. 

In  the  Sacrament  of  Baptism,  it  is  the  custom  for  the  Min- 
ister to  make  (or  mark  with  his  finger)  the  sign  of  the  Cross 
on  the  forehead  of  the  person  baptized.  This  is  done  to  in- 
timate  that  the  person  is  now  admitted  to  the  fellowship  of 
Christ's  religion,  and  become  one  of  his  professed  disci- 
ples. And  as  it  was  an  ancient  custom  "  for  masters  and 
generals  to  mark  the  foreheads  or  hands  of  their  servants 
and  soldiers  with  their  names  or  marks,  that  it  might  be 
known  to  whom  they  did  belong  ;  so  has  it  long  been  the 
custom  of  the  Church  to  sign  and  seal  all  those  who  become 
in  baptism  the  soldiers  and  servants  of  Christ."  It  was  in 
allusion  to  this,  that  the  Fathers  (or  ancient  Bishops,  &c.) 


CtTR  177 

called  this  sign  "  the  Lord's  signet,  and  Christ's  seal"* 
The  sign  of  the  cross  is  not  made  till  after  baptism,  so  that 
it  is  not  absolutely  essential  to  this  rite,  and,  if  request  is 
made,  it  may  be  omitted  altogether,  "  although  the  Church 
knows  no  worthy  scruple  concerning  the  same." 

Cross,  Holy.  A  festival  of  the  Romish  Church,  kept  on 
the  fourteenth  day  of  September,  in  honour  of  the  recovery 
from  the  infidels  of  a  piece  of  the  cross,  which,  we  are  told, 
was  brought  back  to  Jerusalem,  with  great  triumph,  by 
the  Emperor  Heraclius.  The  festival  takes  its  date  from  the 
year  615. 

Cross,  Invention  of  the.  A  festival  observed  in  the  Church 
of  Rome,  in  memory  of  the  fnding  of  the  true  cross,  by  He- 
lena, the  mother  of  Constantino  the  Great.  The  story  or 
legend  in  which  the  circumstances  of  the  discovery  are  re- 
lated, may  be  seen  in  "  Wheatly,  on  the  Common  Prayer." 
This  festival  occurs  on  the  third  of  May.  The  term  invent 
Hon  is  here  used  in  a  sense  now  somewhat  obsolete,  for  the 
finding  or  discovery  of  the  cross. 

Crucifix.  A  figure  of  the  cross,  either  in  statuary  or 
painting,  &c.  with  a  representation  of  Christ  extended  upon 
it,  very  commonly  used  among  Roman  Catholics  in  their  pri- 
vate devotions,  and  conspicuously  placed  in  their  Churches, 
to  excite,  (as  they  allege,)  religious  feeling,  and  aid  in  fixing 
their  thoughts  on  the  sufferings  and  death  of  the  Redeemer. 
The  superstitious  notions,  and  "  peril  of  idolatry,"  which 
have  long  attended  the  crucifix,  have  led  to  its  banishment 
from  all  Protestant  Churches. 

Crypt.  From  xpu'TTrw.  The  subterranean  vaults  or  cel- 
lars under  a  cathedral,  or  other  church,  chiefly  used  as  depo- 
sitories for  the  dead. 

Curacy.  The  office  or  ecclesiastical  situation  held  by  a 
Curate. 

♦  Wheatly. 


178  CUR 

Curate.  A  Minister  who  has  the  cure  or  care  of  souls. 
In  former  times,  this  title  belonged  to  all  Pastors  of  the 
Church,  as  it  still  does  in  the  English  Liturgy ;  but,  by  de- 
grees, it  came  to  be  applied  only  to  those  Ministers  whose 
duty  it  was  to  assist  the  Pastors  or  Rectors  of  Churches,  and 
was  no  longer  used  for  the  Rectors  themselves.  The  Pro- 
testant Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States  seldom  em- 
ploys this  term  ;  and  the  office  itself,  in  the  strict  sense  of  a 
subordinate  minister  appointed  by  the  Rector  alone,  and  by 
him  remunerated,  scarcely  exists.  The  word  occurs  once  in 
the  Prayer-book,  viz  :  in  the  form  for  the  Ordering  of  Dea- 
cons, where  it  is  said  to  be  a  part  of  the  Deacon's  duty,  "  to 
search  for  the  sick,  poor,  &c.,  and  intimate  their  estates, 
names,  and  places  where  they  dwell,  unto  the  Curate.^^ 
In  this  place,  it  refers  to  the  Minister  who  has  the  actual 
pastoral  care  of  the  parish,  whether  he  be  the  Rector  or  the 
Assistant  Minister.  In  the  Church  of  England,  Curates  are 
not  instituted  or  inducted  into  Churches. 

Cure,  Cura.  The  spiritual  charge  of  a  parish ;  or,  in  a 
wider  sense,  the  parish  itself.  The  term  is  not  frequently 
used  in  the  American  Church,  but  occurs  sometimes  in  the 
Prayer-book,  as  in  the  Ordering  of  Priests  : — "  Will  you  * 
*  *  *  teach  the  people  committed  to  your  cure  and 
charge,"  &c.  Also  in  the  Office  of  Institution  : — "  We  au- 
thorize you  to  claim  and  enjoy  all  the  accustomed  temporal- 
ities appertaining  to  your  cure"  &c.  ;  i.  e.,  of  the  Church 
over  which  the  Minister  has  now  become  the  settled  Pastor. 

"Curious  and  Carnal  Persons."  In  Article  XVII. 
the  effects  of  the  "  consideration  of  Predestination  "  on  two 
distinct  classes  of  persons,  are  described.  The  first  are, — 
"  godly  persons,  and  such  as  feel  in  themselves  the  working 
of  the  Spirit  of  Christ."  The  other  class  consists  of  "  curious 
and  carnal  persons,  lacking  the  Spirit  of  Christ,"  with  whom 
"  to  have  continually  before  their  eyes  the  sentence  of  God's 
Predestination,  is  a  most  dangerous  downfall,"  &c.     By  tak- 


DAI  179 

ing  the  word  curious,  here,  in  its  antiquated  sense,  in  con- 
nection with  carnal,  we  have  a  distinct  reference  to  persons 
of  a  severe  and  unsanctified  temperament,  cautious  even  to 
a  fault,  distrustful  of  God,  and  disposed  rather  to  search  into 
what  God  has  not  revealed,  than  to  practise  what  he  has  com- 
manded. Asa  check  upon  all  such  speculations,  and  a  hint 
that  holiness  is  better  than  metaphysics,  the  Article  ends  with 
the  important  remark,  that  the  promises  of  God  are  to  be  re- 
ceived as  they  are  set  forth  in  the  Scriptures,  and  his  will  to 
be  followed  in  all  our  doings,  as  it  is  "  expressly  declared 
unto  us.'" 


D. 


••  Daily."  It  was  evidently  the  intention  of  the  Church,  in 
the  framing  of  the  Prayer-book,  that  divine  service  should  be 
performed  on  every  day  in  the  year.  Hence,  the  Morning 
Service  is  called  "the  Order  for  Daily  Morning  Prayer ;  "  and 
that  for  the  Evening,  "the  Order  for  Daily  Evening  Prayer." 
The  Calendar  also  declares  what  Lessons  of  Scripture  are  to 
be  read  on  every  day  in  the  year,— that  is,  the  daily  lessons : 
and  a  similar  provision  exists  in  relation  to  the  Ante-com- 
munion service. 

In  cathedrals  and  many  other  churches  in  England,  the 
custom  of  maintaining  public  service  on  every  day,  is  still  con- 
tinued ;  and  in  the  United  States,  an  approach  to  it  is  made  in 
some  of  the  more  considerable  city  churches,  by  the  regular 
observance  of  Prayer-days  twice  or  thrice  in  the  week,  and 
on  all  festivals  and  other  holy-days. 

The  Church  of  England  further  ordains,  that  "  all  Priests 
and  Deacons  are  to   say  daily  the  Morning  and  Evening 


180  DEA 

Prayer,  either  privately  or  openly,  not  being  let  [hindered] 
by  sickness  or  some  other  urgent  cause." 

"  Damnation."  The  changes  which  time  has  wrought  in 
the  meaning  of  words,  have  seldom  been  more  unfortunate 
than  in  their  effect  on  this  term,  and  the  verb  "  to  dam7iV 
Modern  usage  limits  them,  with  one  exception,*  to  the  final 
doom  of  the  wicked.  But,  in  several  passages  of  the  New 
Testament,  as  Rom.  xiii.  2  ;  xiv.  23; — 1  Cor.  xi.  29 ; — the  sense 
is  that  of  condemn,  or  condemnation,  according  to  the  use  of  the 
word  at  the  time  when  our  translation  of  the  Scriptures  was 
made.  Respecting  the  passage  in  Corinthians,  John  Wesley 
remarks,  that  ^^  damnation  is  a  vile  mistranslation  of  the 
word,"  for  judgment ;  forgetting,  it  is  charitable  to  suppose, 
that  the  translators  did  not  live  in  his  day. 

In  the  Prayer-book,  the  word  is  often  used  as  in  the  New 
Testament  for  condemnation.  See  the  25th  Article.  Bishop 
Jewell  has  the  following  remark  in  his  Apology,  where  the 

word  is  similarly  used ,  " even  so  these  men  will  see, 

their  own  matter  is  damned  and  destroyed  in  the  word  of 
God,  as  if  it  were  in  poison."  f 

"Dare  not  ask."     A  strong  expression  in  one  of  the 

Collects,  at  the  end  of  the  Communion  Office  :  " those 

things  which  for  our  un worthiness,  we  dare  not  [ask.]"  The 
meaning  appears  to  be  this  : — If  God's  mercy  or  bounty  were 
to  be  appealed  to  on  the  ground  of  our  own  worthiness,  con- 
science would  render  so  stern  a  verdict,  that  our  lips  would 
be  for  ever  sealed ;  in  virtue  of  the  merits  of  Christ  alone 
have  we  boldness  to  seek  those  blessings  which,  through  our 
own  "  un  worthiness,  we  dare  not  "  otherwise  presume  to  ask. 

Deacon.  In  the  Ministry  of  the  Church,  Deacons  are  the 
lowest  of  the  three  ordei's  or  grades.  The  name  by  which 
they  are  distinguished,  is  of  Scriptural  origin,  having  been 


*  In  the  language  of  the  Theatre.  t  P.   133. 


DEACON.  181 

given  to  those  who  first  filled  this  office,  and  has  ever  since 
been  retained  in  the  Church. 

In  the  ancient  Church,  there  was  always  preserved  a  broad 
and  manifest  line  of  distinction  between  the  office  of  a  Dea. 
con  and  that  of  a  Priest.  So  clearly  was  this  defined,  that 
none  could  possibly  mistake,  or  fail  to  see  a  difference  be. 
tween  these  two  orders,  as  wide  as  that  between  a  Priest  and 
a  Bishop.  In  consistency  with  this,  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  sets  forth  in  her  Ordinal,  the  duties  appertaining  to 
the  office  of  a  Deacon,  carefully  preserving  the  distinction 
between  that  office  and  the  "  higher  ministries  of  the  Church." 

That  Deacons  were  a  branch  of  the  sacred  ministry  is 
abundantly  evident  from  the  1st  Epistle  to  Timothy,  where 
instructions  are  given  relative  to  their  qualifications,  and  to 
the  proper  use  of  their  office  in  the  Church  of  God.  The 
same  will  appear  from  a  review  of  those  passages  in  which 
Deacons  are  represented  as  actually  preaching  and  baptizing, 
which  were  duties  appertaining  exclusively  to  the  ministry. 
But  the  most  luminous  proof  of  their  ministerial  character, 
is  derived  from  the  account,  in  the  6th  chapter  of  the  Acts, 
of  tile  ordination  of  seven  persons  to  this  office.  On  this  we 
purpose  to  base  our  vindication  of  the  Order  of  Deacons, 
as  showing  distinctly  that  tiiey  were  not  meiely  appointed 
to  a  secular  office,  but  ordained  as  Mmisters  of  Christ's 
Church. 

The  narrative  sets  forth,  that  on  account  of  some  com- 
plaints  of  neglect  in  the  distribution  of  the  daily  charities  of 
the  Church,  the  Apostles  gave  order  that  the  disciples  should 
select  "  seven  men  of  honest  report,  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
and  wisdom,"  whom  they  might  "appoint  over  this  business." 
Accordingly,  seven  weie  chosen,  among  whom  were  Philip 
and  Stephen;  and,  on  being  presented  to  the  Apostles,  they 
were  ordained  by  the  imposition  of  their  (the  Apostles') 
hands. 

The  first  thing  to  be  noticed  here,  is  the  character  or 
16 


182  DEACON'. 

qualifications  of  these  men.    Now,  if  they  were  for  no  higher 
purpose  than  to  take  cognizance  of  the  temporal  affairs  of  the 
Church,  it  would  have  been  sufficient  that  they   possessed 
simply   an   ordinary   amount  of  good  sense,  integrity,  and 
piety.     They  would  have  occupied  a  place  very  much  re- 
sembling that  of  the  Wardens  and  Vestrymen  in  our  Churches. 
But  what  do  the  Apostles  direct  1     "  Look  ye  out  seven  men 
*******    juii  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  wisdom.'' 
And  among  those  selected  was  Stephen,  "  a  man/w/Z  of  faith 
and  of  the  Holy  Ghost.''     Now  if  this  was  merely  a  secular 
office,  we  see  the  Apostles  most  strangely  demanding  for  it 
the  highest  spiritual  qualifications.     In  fact,  there  was  no  sort 
of  relation  between  the  qualifications  and  the  office.    To  illus- 
trate the  matter,  suppose  that  some  benevolent  persons  should 
present  to  our  own  Church  a  sum  of  money,  to  be  laid  out  at 
stated  times,  in  relieving  a  number  of  poor  people  belonging 
to  the  congregation  ;  and  suppose  the  charge  of  this  fund  to 
be  lodg€d,  in  the  first  instance,  in  the  hands  of  the  Bishop  ; 
but  finding  that  more  important  duties  prevented  him  from 
attending  to  the  distribution,  he  should  think  proper  to  call 
for  the   appointment   of  some  other  persons   to   this   duty  : 
would  it  be  at  all  necessary,  that  for  this  merely  temporal 
business,  he  should  require  the  Church  to  look  out  persons 
"  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  wisdom  "  ]     It  would  be  directly 
perceived  that  such  exalted  spiritual  qualifications  were  not 
absolutely  needed  forthe  b-isiness  in  hand,  however  desirable 
they  might  be  on  other  accounts.     And,  in  the  case  in  ques- 
tion,  it  is  equally  inconceivable  that  the  Apostles  should  have 
required   the  selection    of  men    endowed    with  the    noblest 
spiritual  gifts,  and  full  of  wisdom,  to  be  appointed  to  a  kind 
of  labor  m  hich  any  honest  man  among  the  disciples  would 
have  been  competent  to  discharge. 

Further  :  these  men  were  not  only  chosen  by  the  people, 
but  solemnly  ordained  by  the  Apostles.  Here  we  ask,  is  it 
at  all  likely,  that  for  the  mere  distribution  of  charity,  such  a 


DEACON.  183 

solemnity  would  have  been  performed?  To  advert  to  our 
former  illustration  : — If  a  sum  of  money  had  been  given  to 
our  own  Church  to  assist  the  indigent,  would  the  Bishop  not 
•only  require  in  the  person  to  whom  the  distribution  should 
be  committed,  the  highest  spiritual  gifts,  but  actually  deem  it 
necessary  to  ordain  him,  before  entering  on  his  simple  duty? 
Would  not  the  thing  appear  utterly  unnecessary  and  super- 
fluous? And  would  not  every  one  decide,  that  if  the  person 
possessed  the  above  qualifications,  and  received  ordination 
from  the  Bishop,  that  something  more  would  be  expected  from 
him  than  that  line  of  duty  in  which  his  gifts  would  have  no 
^eld  for  exercise  ? 

But  we  find  at  least  two  of  these  Deacons  engaged  imme- 
diately  after,  in  ministerml  labors.  Stephen  is  found,  not 
confining  himself  to  the  lesser  matter  of  distributing  the 
charily  of  the  Church,  but  preaching  in  the  various  syna- 
•gogues  of  the  foreign  Jews,  and  we  read  that  "  they  were 
not  able  to  resist  the  wisdom  and  the  spirit  by  which  he 
spake."  And  by  consulting  the  tihronology  of  our  Bibles,  it 
will  be  perceived  that  this  occurred  in  the  same  year  in  which 
he  was  ordained,  if  not  directly  upon  the  receiving  of  his 
official  authority.  The  next  year  we  find  Philip,  another  of 
the  Deacons,  going  to  Samaria,  and  preaching  and  baptizing. 
It  would  appear  then,  as  some  one  has  remarked,  that  if  they 
were  appointed  only  to  serve  tables,  they  must  have  been 
very  unfaithful  servants,  so  soon  to  desert  their  trasL 

But  it  is  objected  that  Philip  is  called  an  Evangelist,  and 
that  he  ministered  in  this  capacity,  and  not  in  that  of  a 
Deacon.  We  reply,  that  he  is  not  called  an  Evangelist  be- 
fore the  history  in  the  21st  chapter  of  the  Acts,  which  was 
at  least  twenfy-seven  years  after  he  went  to  Samaria.  In 
truth,  we  know  Philip  only  as  a  Deacon,  for  Evangelist  is  not 
a  title  of  a  distinct  order,  but  signifies  only  a  minister  of 
Christ — one  who  officially  proclaims  the  gospel.  And  even 
if  it  were  a  distinct  office,  we  have  Philip,  as  just  stated^ 


184  DEACON. 

preaching  Christ,  27  years  before  he  is  called  by  this  title. 
It  appears  then,  that  the  Deacons  were  ministers  of  the  icord, 
as  well  as  ministers  of  tables,  or  distributors  of  charity. 

It  may  be  further  remarked,  that  no  objection  can  validly 
be  brought  against  the  sacred  character  of  the  Deacons,  from 
the  fact  that  the  Apostles  say,  "it  is  not  reason  that  we 
should  leave  the  word  of  God  and  serve  tables."  For  this 
by  no  means  proves  that  one  of  these  duties  was  incompatible 
with  the  other ;  but  that  the  Apostles  having  the  chief  work 
of  preaching  the  gospel — having  "labors  more  abundant," 
thought  it  best  to  release  themselves  as  much  as  they  might 
from  lesser  duties,  which  could  be  performed  by  others  in 
connection  with  a  less  arduous  ministry.  For  the  same  rea- 
son,  Paul  afterwards  refused  even  to  baptize,  alleging  that 
Christ  sent  him  "  not  to  baptize,  but  to  preach  the  gospel." 
In  the  narrative,  the  Apostles  give  as  a  reason  for  the  ordina- 
tion  of  Deacons,  that  they  wished  to  give  themselves,  " con- 
tinually  to  prayer,"  &c.  They  did  not  want  to  be  interrupted 
in  their  ministry ;  but  by  no  means  say  that  the  Deacons' 
duties  could  not  be  performed  without  a  surrender  of  the 
ministry. 

Again  ;  if  the  Deacons  were  ordained  simply  to  'distribute 
the  property  of  the  Church,  under  the  temporary  arrange- 
ment of  a  community  of  goods,  how  is  it  that  the  office  sur- 
vived when  that  arrangement  ceased  ?  How  is  it  that  St.  Paul 
writes  to  Timothy,  no  less  than  31  or  32  years  after  the  ordi- 
nation above,  giving  him  rules  for  the  choice  and  govern- 
ment of  Deacons  ?  If  it  be  said  in  answer,  that  these  officers 
were  still  wanted  in  the  Church,  to  take  charge  of  the  poor ; 
and  that  if  the  Scriptures  had  carried  down  the  history  a 
little  later,  we  should  have  seen  them  so  employed  ;  we  reply, 
that  where  the  Scripture  ends,  we  must  take  up  other  early 
writers  who  lived  immediately  after  the  Apostles,  and  see 
what  they  write  concerning  the  duties  and  office  of  Deacons. 
Let  us  then  consult  a  few  of  them,  and  hear  their  testimony* 


•BEACON.  *  185 

The  first  whom  we  shall  notice,  is  Clement,  a  disciple  of 
St.  Peter,  and  Bishop  of  Rome.     In  one  of  his  Epistles,  he 
says  that  Isaiah  had  prophesied  of  Bishops  in  the  Christian 
Church  as  "overseers  in  righteousness,"  and  of  Deacons  as 
"their  ministers  in  faith,"  adding,  that  the  Apostles  estab- 
lished  such  officers.     After  this,  and  almost  in  the  spirit  of 
prophecy,  he  continues,  that  "  the  Apostles  knew  by  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  that  there  should  contentions  arise,  upon  the 
account  of  the  ministry."    Ignatius,  another  of  the  Apostolic 
Fathers,  who  flourished  while  some  of  the  twelve  were  yet 
living,  and  was    probably  acquainted  with  them  and   their 
views  respecting  the  constitution  of  the  Church,  in  writing  to 
the  Magnesians,  names  Bishops,  and  Presbyters,  and  adds, 
"  and  your  Deacons  most  dear  to  me,  being  intrusted  with  the 
Ministry  of  Jesus  Christ.''     In  another  Epistle  he  speaks  of 
the  sacred  office  of  Deacon  thus  : — "  The  Deacons  also,  as 
being  the  ministers  of  the  mysteries  of  Jesus  Christ,  must  by 
all  means  please  all  ;   for  they  are  not  the  ministers  of  meat 
and  drink,  but  of  the  Church  of  God."    Polycarp,  a  disciple 
of  St.  John,  says  to  the  same  purpose,  "  the  Deacons  must  be 
blameless  before  (God)  as  the  ministers  of  God  in  Christ,^' 
Here  then  we  have  the  testimony  of  holy  men  who  lived  with 
the  Apostles,  that  in  their  day.  Deacons  were  an  order  of  the 
Christian  ministry.     The  matter  is  so  plain,  that  if  denied, 
there  is  no  meaning  in  language,  and  no  truth  in  history; 
and  it  would  be  equally  as  reasonable  to  contend  that  such 
men    as   Clement,    Ignatius,    and  Polycarp,  never   existed. 
When  to  this  we  add  the  undeniable  fact,  that  from  the  times 
of  these  men,  down  to  the  days  of  Luther  and  Calvin,  all  the 
Deacons  in  the  world  were  ordained  ministers ;  and  when  we 
consider  that  at  the  present  time  all  the  Churches  in  the 
world  which  are  derived  from  the  Apostles,  hold  their  Dea- 
cons  in  the  same  light,  what  a  convincing  and  striking  com^ 
mentary  have  we  0:1  the  scriptural  account  of  the  institutioB 

of  I  he  office  ! 

16* 


186  t  DEA 

It  follows  then,  that  if  Deacons  are  to  take  their  stand 
among  the  laity,  as  mere  officers  to  take  charge  of  the  poor, 
dec,  there  is  this  formidable  task  first  to  be  accomplished, 
viz.,  to  overcome  the  testimony  of  the  New  Testament ; — to 
give  it  an  interpretation  which  the  Church  never  heard  of  for 
1500  years  ; — to  accuse  the  friends  and  disciples  of  the 
Apostles,  of  falsehood  or  ignorance  ; — to  deny  the  unanimous 
testimony  of  the  Church  in  the  whole  world,  and  through  all 
ages ;  and  to  declare  that  the  present  race  of  Deacons  in  all 
Churches  now  under  an  Episcopal  ministry,  are  a  budy  of 
impostors,  exercising  a  ministry  to  which  they  have  no 
shadow  of  right.  The  intelligent  reader  will  decide  which  is 
the  safest  side  of  the  dilemma. 

"Deadly  Sin."  It  would  appear  that  the  16th  Article, 
in  which  this  expression  occurs,  was  framed  with  a  view  to 
counteract  an  opinion  originally  held  by  the  Novatians,  and 
revived  by  the  Anabaptists  and  other  sects,  at  the  period  of 
the  Reformation.  By  maintaining  that  all  sin  after  baptism, 
was  unpardonable,  they  not  only  set  forth  a  dogma  incon- 
sistent with  the  tenor  of  Scripture,  but  reduced  all  moral 
offences  to  a  perfect  level,  as  being  equally  heinous  in  the 
sight  of  God.  The  former  notion  is  denied  in  the  Article  ; 
and  as  respects  the  latter,  while  ihe  Church  teaches  in  agree- 
ment with  Scripture,  that  every  sin  is  a  grievous  offence 
against  the  majesty  of  lieaven,  and  that  a  curse  rests  on  every 
one  "that  continueth  not  in  all  things  which  are  written  in 
the  book  of  the  law  to  do  them" — a  curse  from  which  there 
is  no  escape  but  by  the  l.lccd  of  C  hiist,  yet  she  aho  re(  cgnizes 
different  d<grees  of  turpitude  and  guilt  in  the  catalogue  of 
sins.  "We  are  far  fiom  the  conceit  of  the  Stoics,"  says 
Bishop  Burnet,  *'  w  ho  made  all  sins  alike.  We  acknow  ledge 
that  some  sirs  of  ignoiance  and  infiinity  may  consist  with  a 
state  of  grace;  which  is  either  quite  destroyed,  or  at  least, 
much  eclipsed  and  cloud(  d  by  other  sins,  that  are  n:oTe  heinous 
in  their  nature,  and  more  deliberately  gene  alout.     It  is  in  this 


DEC  *  187 

sense  that  the  word  'deadly'  is  used  in  the  Article;  for 
though  in  the  strictness  of  justice  every  sin  is  'deadly,'  yet 
in  the  dispensation  of  the  Gospel  those  sins  only  are  deadly, 
that  do  deeplv  wound  the  conscience,  and  drive  away  grace." 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  add,  that  the  Church  acknow- 
ledges no  distinction  of  sins,  like  the  Church  of  Romej  into 
mortal  and  venial;  and  consequently  is  free  from  all  the 
abuses  which  have  grown  out  of  such  a  distinction. 

Dean.  In  the  Church  of  England,  a  certain  ecclesiastical 
officer,  or  dignitary  attached  to  a  Cathedral.  Though  the 
great  body  of  the  Clergy  are  connected  with  parishes,  yet 
some  are  retained  in  Cathedrals  for  the  assistance  of  the 
Bishop  in  the  celebration  of  divine  service,  &c.  Over  these 
the  Dean  presides.  It  has  been  supposed  that  the  name  is 
derived  from  his  being  chief  over  ten  canons  or  prebendaries 
at  the  least.  These  constitute  what  is  called  a  "chapter," 
under  the  immediate  presidency  of  the  Dean.  They  are 
"subordinate  to  the  Bishop,  as  a  council  assistant  to  him  in 
matters  spiritual  relating  to  religion,  and  in  matters  temporal 
relating  to  the  temporalities  of  his  bishoprick."  * 

Decalogue.  The  ten  Commandments.  The  introduc- 
tion of  these  into  our  Liturgy,  may  be  dated  from  the  review 
of  the  Prayer-book,  under  King  Edward,  in  1552.  Before 
this,  though  inculcated  in  the  pastoral  instruction  of  the 
people,  they  were  not  an  established  part  of  the  public  litur- 
gies, either  of  the  ancient  or  modern  Church. 

The  propriety  of  their  introduction  immediately  after  the 
Collect  for  purity,  and  at  the  opening  of  the  solemn  office  of 
the  Communion,  needs  no  def  nee.  At  such  a  time,  self- 
examination  is  an  imperative  duty ;  and,  as  a  guide  and 
stimulus  to  the  conscience,  nothing  can  exceed  the  usefulness 
of  a  recapitulation  of  the  moral  law,  connected  as  it  is  with 


♦  Lawjj  relating  to  the  C.'orgy, 


188  DEC 

a  petition  for  divine  mercy,  and  "grace  to  "keep  the  law  fof 
the  time  to  come." 

The  importance  attached  by  the  Church  to  the  keeping  af 
"the  moral  law  always  fresh  in  the  minds  of  the  congregatiori, 
may  account  for  the  laudable  and  pious  custom  of  painting  or 
gilding  the  ten  commandments,  (as  also  the  Creed,  and  the 
Lord's  Prayer,)  in  a  conspicuous  character  on  tablets,  or  on 
the  wall  in  the  rear  of  the  altar,  and  in  full  view  of  the 
people.  It  is  no  trifling  subject  of  regret,  both  on  the  score 
of  taste  and  sound  piety,  that  a  custom  so  venerable  should 
be  gradually  falling  into  neglect. 

"Decent,"  "Decently."  These  terms  are  occasionally 
found  in  the  rubrics  of  the  Prayer-book,  as  a  check  against 
disoi'der  and  slovenliness,  &c.,  where  there  might  be  danger 
of  them. 

"  Let  every  thing  be  done  decently  and  in  order,"  is  a  stand- 
ing motto  over  the  ceremonies  and  usages  of  the  Church;  and 
in  the  neglect  of  this,  it  is  a  burdensome  if  not  an  impracti- 
cable task  to  preserve  those  feelings  of  awe  and  reverence, 
on  which  the  beauty  of  our  services,  and  the  spiritual  benefit 
of  the  worshippers,  so  very  much  depend.  When  Deacons 
or  Priests  are  to  be  ordained,  the  Church  requires  that  they 
shall  appear  "decentlv  habited,"  in  which  demand  it  is  under- 
stood not  only  that  their  ordinary  appard  shall  be  becoming, 
and  such  as  is  sanctioned  by  clerical  usage,  but  that  the  can- 
didates for  Deacon's  Orders  shall  assume  some  part  of  the 
customary  ministerial  dress,  in  anticipation  of  the  office  to 
which  they  are  to  be  adtnitted.*  The  term  decent  is  thus 
nearly  synonymous  with  proper,  becoming,  or  appropriate.  So 
also  in  one  of  the  rubrics  of  the  Communion  office;  where 
it  is  ordered  that  the  alms  shall  be  received  "in  a  deceni 
Basin,  to  be  provided  by  the  parish  for  that  purpose,"  that  is. 


*  There  is  a  simUar  antuipation  in  t'  e  coiiscc/at'oii  of  a  Bisliop,  tbe 
Candidate  being  allowed  to  wear  the  Roclicl. 


DEG  189 

a  plate  or  discus  suitable  for  the  object,  and  proper  to  be  after- 
wards placed  on  the  altar,  without  disparaging  the  dignity  of 
the  after  part  of  the  service. 

Declaration.  A  solemn  form  to  which  the  Church  re- 
quires subscription  from  all  who  seek  admission  to  her  Min- 
istry. See  Article  VII.  of  the  Constitution  of  the  Church 
in  the  United  States.  The  form  runs  in  the  following  words  : 
"I  do  believe  the  Holy  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New  Tes- 
taments to  be  the  word  of  God,  and  to  contain  all  things 
necessary  to  salvation  ;  and  I'do  solemnly  engage  to  conform 
to  the  doctrines  and  worship  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  in  these  United  States." 

Dedication.     See  Consecration. 

Degradation.  The  act  of  depriving  a  Clergyman  of  the 
ministerial  character  and  authority,  on  account  of  crime  or 
unworthiness  proved  against  him.  The  terms  "  Deposition," 
and  "  Deprivation,"  with  some  others,  are  used  to  express  the 
same  awful  sentence. 

The  discipline  of  the  Church  assigns  three  degrees  of  cen- 
sure for  ofTences  in  her  Ministers:  1.  Admonition,  2.  Suspen- 
sion, and  3.  Degradation.  These  are  administered,  according 
to  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  after  the  accused  has  been 
tried  by  an  ecclesiastical  court, and  found  guilty.  The  Bishop 
is  the  minister  of  discipline  in  his  Diocese.  Under  him, 
a  committee,  or  council  of  presbyters,  act  in  securing  a 
full  and  impartial  investigation  of  facts,  and  in  giving  to 
the  accused  all  reasonable  time  and  opportunity  for  his 
own  defence,  and  the  proof  of  his  innocence.  If  the  trial 
issue  in  a  verdict  of  guilt,  ihe  Bishop  pronounces  the  sen- 
tence, and  carries  it  into  execution  ;  and  according  to  Article 
VI.  of  the  Constitution  of  the  Church,  "none  but  a  Bishop 
shall  pronounce  sentence  of  deposition  or  degradation  from 
the  ministry  on  any  Clergyman,  whether  Bishop,  or  Presby- 
ter, or  Deacon  " 

The  mode  of  proceeding,  in  the  trial  of  a  Clergyman,  is 


190  -        DEGRADATION. 

determined  by  the  Canons  of  the  various  Dioceses.  The 
General  Canons  set  forth  the  nature  of  those  ofTences  on 
which  a  presentnfient  may  be  grounded. 

By  General  Canon  XXXIX.  it  is  declared,  that  "  When 
any  minister  is  degraded  from  the  holy  ministry,  he  is  de- 
graded therefrom  entirely,  and  not  from  a  higher  to  a  lower 
order  of  the  same."  And  "  No  degraded  minister  shall  be 
restored  to  the  ministry." 

In  cases  of  degradation,  information  is  given  to  every 
Minister  and  Vestry  in  the  Diocese,  and  also  to  all  Bishops 
of  this  Church,  in  order  to  secure  the  Church  from  any  in- 
trusion on  the  part  of  the  person  degraded. 

The  precise  efiVct  produced  by  the  sentence  of  degrada- 
tion, as  understood  by  the  ancient  Church,  seems  to  have 
been  that  of  an  ecclesiastical  deprivation  of  all  right  to  ex- 
ercise the  functions  of  the  Ministry :  though  it  is  question- 
able whether  it  was  esteemed  as  an  absolute  obliteration  of 
the  spiritual  powers  conferred  in  ordination.  "  The  priest 
can  baptize,  but  he  cannot  i^rtbaptize  ;  and^  in  truth,  though 
Bishops  ordain,  they  cannot  wTiordain  ;  they  can  only  by  their 
censures  so  far  depose,  as  to  oblige  the  delinquent  from  the 
exercise  of  his  function."*  This  appears  to  have  been  the 
doctrine  maintained  at  an  early  age.  Degraded  ministers 
were  carefully  excluded  from  joining  with  the  other  Clergy 
in  the  performance  of  sacred  offices.  Thus  Apostolic  Canon 
iX.  ordains,  that  "  If  any  Clergyman  join  in  prayer  with  a 
deposed  Clergyman,  as  a  Clergyman,  let  him  be  deposed;" 
because  this  was  a  virtual  owning  of  his  ministrations.  The 
Canons  were  also  decisive  in  asserting  that  a  degraded  min- 
ister could  not  be  restored  to  his  office.  The  3d  Canon  of 
St.  Basil  ordains,  that  "  a  layman  excommunicated  may  be 
restored  to  the  degree  from  which  he  falls,  but  a  clergyman 
deposed  cannot.     And  the  4th  Antiochian   Canon  runs   in 

*  Johnson  on  ihe  Canonical  CoJefi. 


DEL  191 

these  words  :  "  If  any  Bishop  being  deposed  by  a  Synod,  or 
any  Priest  or  Deacon  deposed  by  his  Bishop,  do  perform  any 
part  of  his  Liturgy,  [of  the  public  service,]  he  shall  never 
have  any  hopes  of  restitution,  or  of  having  his  cause  heard 
in  another  Synod,"  &c.  In  this,  though  restitution  or  resto- 
ration is  spoken  of,  yet  the  reference  is  to  cases  where  sen- 
tence of  deposition  by  an  inferior  judge,  was  suspended  by 
an  appeal  to  a  superior,  and  'pendente  lite,  the  censured 
Clergyman  was  not  to  officiate.*  The  general  rule  was 
that  now  incorporated  into  our  Canons,  viz.,  that  a  degraded 
Clergyman  could  never  be  reinstated  in  his  office,  though  in  a 
few  cases,  the  rule  was  dispensed  with,  and  restorations  took 
place. 

"  Degree,  a  good."  An  expression  used  in  1.  Timothy, 
iii.  13.  probably  in  reference  to  the  promotion  of  deacons  to 
the  priesthood.  "  They  that  have  used  the  office  of  a  deacon 
well,  purchase  to  themselves  a  good  degree^"*  The  word 
Ba^jxoc:,  literally  means  a  step  or  elevation;  and,  as  here 
used,  most  naturally  points  to  some  higher  grade  of  office,  to 
which  deacons  who  were  faithful,  might  expect  to  be  advan- 
ced. The  passage  thus  harmonizes  with  the  whole  tenor  of 
the  New  Testament,  in  implying  the  existence  of  distinct  or- 
ders, grades,  or  degrees  in  the  Christian  Ministry.  In  the 
concluding  Collect  in  the  form  for  the  Ordering  of  Deacons, 
allusion  is  evidently  made  to  this  text,  in  the  prayer  that  those 
admitted  to  deacon's  orders,  "may  so  well  behave  themselves 
in  this  inferior  office,  that  they  may  be  found  worthy  to  be 
called  unto  the  higher  ministries  of  the  Church." 

Delegates.  The  delegates  composing  a  Diocesan  Con- 
vention, are  the  Clergy  of  the  Parish  Churches,  &c.,  together 
with  a  representation  of  laymen  chosen  in  each  parish,  under 
the  regulations  of  the  Canons  of  the  Diocese. 

Delegates  to  the  General  Convention,  are  chosen  from  the 

♦  Johnson  on  the  Canonical  Codes. 


192  DES 

Clergy  and  Laity,  by  the  Conventions  of  the  Dioceses  they 
represent.     See  Convention. 

Departed  spirits.     See  Hell,  Descend  into. 

Depose.  To  deprive,  or  degrade  from  the  Ministry.  See 
Degradation. 

Deposition.  The  displacing  or  degrading  of  an  unworthy 
Cleraryman  from  the  Ministry.     See  Degradation. 

Deprecations.  This  title  is  given  to  those  parts  of  the 
Litany,  in  which  we  pray  God  to  deliver  us  from  all  kinds  of 
evil,  and  the  punishment  due  to  it.  The  Deprecations  begin 
with  "  Remember  not.  Lord,  our  offences,"  &c.,  and  end 
with  "In  all  time  of  our  tribulation,"  &c.,to  every  portion  of 
which,  after  being  said  by  the  Mini&tpr,  the  people  respond, 
"  Good  Lord,  deliver  us"  excepting  the  first,  where  the  an- 
swer is,  "  Spare  us,  good  Lord." 

Deputies.  Those  clergymen  and  laymen  who  are  sent  or 
deputed  to  attend  ihe  Conventions  of  the  Church.  See  Con- 
vention and  Delegate. 

Di-.scEXT  into  Hell      See  Hell,  Descent  into. 

"  Desire  or  deserve"  See  C(,llect  for  the  12th  Sunday 
after  Trinity.  "Almighty  and  everlasting  God,  who  art 
*  *  *  wont  to  give  more  than  either  Ave  desire  or  de- 
serve," &c.  An  objection  is  sometimes  felt  against  this 
lano-uage,  as  though  it  were  anti-scriptural  and  calculated  to 
repress  the  fervency  of  prayer.  In  reply,  it  is  remarked  by 
Dr.  Bennet,  that  "We  do  not  always  know  what  particular 
things  are  most  fit  for  us;  and  therefore  we  cannot  desire 
those  thincjs  in  particular.  So  that  though  we  do  desire  them 
in  general  terms,  when  we  beseech  God  to  give  us  whatever 
we  stand  in  need  of;  yet  we  do  not  desire  them  in  that 
sense,  in  which  the  phrase  is  manifestly  understood  in  this 
.place." 

Desk.  In  Churches,  an  elevated  place  or  pew,  in  which 
the  ordinary  Morning  and  Evening  Services  are  read. 

The  desk,  though  now  an  indispensable  part  of  a  well- 


DESK.  193 

arranged  Episcopal  Church,  is  not  of  very  ancient  date, 
having  been  introduced  into  the  Church  of  England  subse- 
quent  to  the  Reformation.  Before,  and  at  that  period,  it  had 
been  the  general,  if  not  the  invariable  custom,  to  read  the 
liturgy  from  the  Chancel,  probably  from  the  front  or  else  the 
north  side  of  the  Altar.  This  indeed  was  the  authorized 
place  even  as  late  as  the  reign  of  Elizabeth.  At  a  prior 
date,  under  King  Edward  VI.,  the  rubric  directed  the  "  Priest, 
being  in  the  Choir,  [or  Chancel,]  to  begin  with  a  loud  voice  the 
Lord's  Prayer,"  that  being  then  the  opening  of  the  Liturgy. 
Soon  after  this,  a  few  of  the  continental  reformers  suggested, 
that  the  reading  of  the  Liturgy  from  the  Chancel  was  "  a 
most  anti-Christian  practice,"  because  the  Priest  was  thus 
separated  from  the  people,  who  had  an  equal  right  to  pray 
with  the  Clergy.  It  was  no  trifling  compliment  to  the  Church, 
by  the  bye,  that  their  sagacity  spent  itself  in  finding  such 
frivolous  causes  of  complaint.  However,  to  gratify  them, 
the  service  was  ordered  to  be  read  in  such  places  in  the 
Church,  as  might  give  the  Priest  the  best  position  for  being 
heard  by  the  people.  Under  EHzabeth,  the  disorder  which  had 
grown  up  from  this  blind  and  indefinite  rubric,  was  in  some 
degree  stayed,  by  a  return  to  the  original  practice,  i.  e.,  to 
the  reading  of  Morning  and  Evening  Prayer  in  the  Chancel. 
The  next  step  was  the  introduction  of  the  Desk,  or,  as  it 
was  called,  the  "  Reading  Pew."  Something  of  this  kind  was 
found  necessary  in  Churches  constructed  on  the  old  model, 
in  order  that  the  Minister  might  be  more  distinctly  heard 
than  he  could  be  when  standing  in  the  Chancel  at  a  remote 
part  of  the  building.  And  when  it  is  recollected,  that  the 
Churches  then  in  being,  were  mostly  built  with  reference  to 
a  service  which  addressed  the  eye  far  more  than  the  ear,  a 
service  that  dealt  in  gorgeous  processions  and  pompous 
ceremonies,  and  all  the  finery  and  splendor  of  a  ritual  that 
held  men  in  awe  by  its  outward  fascinations,  it  will  be  seen 
at  once,  that  on  the  introduction  of  a  liturgy  in  the  common 

17 


194  t>EG 

language  of  the  people,  abounding  with  instruction,  and  call- 
ing men  to  unite  in  it  "  understandingly,"  it  was  a  first  duty 
to  locate  the  officiating  minister,  in  such  a  position  as  would 
secure  to  the  congregation  the  benefit  of  a  distinct  hearing 
of  the  service.  The  Bishops,  therefore,  "  at  the  solicitations 
of  their  inferior  Clergy,  allowed  them  in  several  places  to 
supersede  their  former  practice,  and  to  have  Desks  or  Read- 
ing Pews,  in  the  body  of  the  Church,  where  they  might,  with 
more  ease  to  themselves,  and  greater  convenience  to  the  peo- 
ple, perform  the  daily  morning  and  evening  service.  Which 
dispensation,  begun  at  first  by  some  few  ordinaries,  and  re- 
commended by  them  to  others,  grew  by  degrees  to  be  more 
general,  till  at  last  it  came  to  be  an  universal  practice  ;  inso- 
much that  the  convocation,  in  the  beginning  of  King  James 
I's  reign,  ordered,  that  in  every  Church  there  should  be  a 
convenient  seat  made  for  the  minister  to  read  service  in."* 

This  is,  in  short,  a  history  of  the  origin  of  the  desks  of  our 
Churches.  And  though,  from  the  convenient  size  and  plan 
of  modern  Churches,  the  original  necessity  cannot  now  be 
pleaded  for  the  use  of  desks,  yet  other  reasons  equally  valid, 
are  not  wanting  in  vindication  of  them  as  an  essential  part 
of  a  well-furnished  Church.  A  return  to  the  primitive  prac- 
tice of  reading  the  liturgy  from  the  Chancel  is  not  to  be 
looked  for ;  and  in  the  absence  of  desks,  there  might  be  a 
tendency  to  bring  in  the  pulpit  as  a  substitute,  a  practice 
which  would  with  difficulty  recommend  itself  to  any  lover  of 
ecclesiastical  order  and  propriety. 

Deus  misereatur.  The  Latin  of  "  God  be  merciful " 
unto  us,  which  are  the  first  words  of  one  of  the  hymns  ap- 
pointed to  be  used  after  the  second  Lesson  in  Evening  Ser- 
vice. This  is  simply  the  67th  Psalm,  an  anthem  beginning 
with  a  penitential  prayer,  then  expanding  into  a  desire  for  the 


Wheatly,  p.  112. 


Dio  195 

spiritual  good  of  all  nations,  and  terminating  in  a  strain  of 
universal  rejoicing,  with  a  recapitulation  of  both  the  temporal 
^nd  eternal  blessings  which  shall  attend  the  general  diffusion 
of  divine  truth. 

Deuteronomium.  The  Latin  title  of  the  book  of  Deuter- 
onomy, as  given  in  the  6th  Article  of  Religion. 

"  Devotions."  Near  the  beginning  of  the  Communion  Ser- 
vice in  the  Prayer-book,  this  name  is  given  to  the  offerings 
which  the  people  give  for  the  relief  of  the  poor,  &c.,  thus — 
"the  Deacons,  Church  Wardens,  and  other  fit  persons  ap. 
pointed  for  that  purpose,  shall  receive  the  Alms  for  the  Poor, 
and  other  Devotions  of  the  people."  These  gifts  are  proba- 
bly so  called  because  they  are  devoted  to  this  pious  purpose. 
The  word,  however,  is  now  seldom  used  in  this  sense.  See 
Oblations. 

DiAcoNATE.  The  office  or  rank  of  a  Deacon.  The 
deaconsMp. 

Dignitary.  A  Bishop  or  other  ecclesiastical  officer  hold, 
ing  a  peculiar  rank  or  dignity  in  the  Church. 

DiMissoRY  Letter.  Presbyters  and  Deacons  are,  in  all 
ordinary  cases,  under  the  care  and  jurisdiction  of  one  of  the 
Bishops  of  the  Church,  usually  the  Bishop  of  the  Diocese  in 
which  they  reside.  But  in  the  event  of  a  removal  into 
another  Diocese,  the  Bishop,  on  request,  furnishes  a  letter  to 
the  Bishop  of  that  other  Diocese,  recommending  the  appli- 
cant  to  his  spiritual  care,  and  testifying  to  his  correct  stand, 
ing  in  the  Church.  This  is  called  a  "  Dimissory  Letter,"  or 
"  letter  of  dismission.*'     See  Canonical  Residence. 

Diocesan,  a.  Relating  to  a  Diocese,  and  not  to  the 
Church  in  general.  Thus,  the  regular  annual  meeting  of  the 
Clergy,  &c.  of  any  particular  Diocese,  is  called  a  Diocesan 
Convention ;  and  their  ecclesiastical  laws,  are  denominated 
Diocesan  Canons,  because  they  are  enacted  for  that  Diocese 
only.  In  like  manner,  a  seminary  or  school  for  the  educa- 
tion of  persons  for  the  ministry,  and  belonging  to  any  par- 


196 


DIO 


ticular  Diocese,  is  called  a  Diocesan  Seminary,  whereas 
another  for  the  same  purpose,  but  belonging  to  all  the  Dio- 
ceses in  common,  has  the  name  of  the  General  Seminary. 

DiocESA^v^,  n.  One  who  exercises  the  ecclesiastical  ju- 
risdiction of  a  Diocese,  i.  e.  a  Bishop.  The  term  Diocesan 
is  more  limited  than  that  of  Bishop,  the  latter  including  and 
recognizing  all  the  peculiar  functions  of  the  Episcopate,  while 
the  former  has  reference  only  to  the  bounds  in  which  those 
functions  shall  be  exercised.  Bishop,  is  therefore  a  desig- 
nation, in  all  circumstances  and  places,  of  one  holding  the 
powers  of  the  Episcopate.  On  the  other  hand.  Diocesan  is 
applicable  to  such  an  officer,  only  in  respect  to  the  limits  of 
his  own  Diocese.  The  Bishop  of  New-York,  for  example, 
bears  the  title  of  Bishop  throughout  the  whole  Church  ;  but 
that  of  Diocesan  only  in  his  relation  to  the  particular  Diocese 
of  New-York. 

Diocesan  Convention.     See  Convention. 

Diocese,  or  Diocess.  A  territorial  district  or  portion  of 
the  Church,  forming  the  spiritual  jurisdiction  of  a  Bishop. 

The  division  of  the  Church  into  dioceses,  may  be  viewed 
as  a  natural  consequence  of  the  institution  of  the  office  of 
Bishops.  The  authority  to  exercise  jurisdiction,  when  com- 
mitted  to  several  hands,  requires  that  some  boundaries  be 
defined,  within  which  each  party  may  employ  his  powers  ; 
otherwise,  disorder  and  confusion  would  ensue, — and  the 
Church,  instead  of  being  benefited  by  the  appointment  of 
governors,  might  be  exposed  to  the  double  calamity  of  an 
overplus  of  them  in  one  district,  and  a  total  deficiency  in 
another. 

The  fixing  of  parish  boundaries,  would  meet  the  difficulty 
so  far  as  Presbyters  were  concerned ;  but  we  are  here  con- 
templating the  sphere  in  which  powers  of  a  higher  grade 
were  to  operate ; — powers  extending  to  the  government  of 
those  Presbyters,  and  to  the  higher  acts  of  discipline  in  their 
parishes.     Hence  we  find,  even  as  early  as  the  New  Testa- 


DIOCESE.  197 

ment  history,  some  plain  indications  of  the  rise  of  the 
Diocesan  system,  in  the  cases  respectively  of  James,  Bishop 
of  Jerusalem ;  Timothy,  Bishop  of  Ephesus ;  Titus,  of 
Crete  ;  to  whom  may  be  added  the  Angels  or  Bishops  of  the 
seven  Churches  in  Asia.  These  were  located  in  cities,  and 
had  jurisdiction  over  the  Churches  and  inferior  Clergy  in 
those  cities,  and  probably  in  the  country  adjacent. 

The  first  Dioceses  were  formed  by  planting  a  Bishop  in  a 
city  or  considerable  village,  where  he  officiated  statedly,  and 
took  the  spiritual  charge  "  not  only  of  the  city  itself,  but  the 
suburbs,  or  region  lying  round  about  it,  within  the  verge  of 
its  [civil]  jurisdiction  :  Which  seems  to  be  the  plain  reason 
of  that  great  and  visible  difference  which  we  find  in  the  ex- 
tent  of  Dioceses  ;  some  being  very  large,  others  very  small, 
according  as  the  civil  government  of  each  city  happened  to 
have  a  larger  or  lesser  jurisdiction."  *  This  was  the  primi- 
tive mode  of  proceeding.  One  Bishop,  and  no  more,  was 
allowed  to  a  city  ;  but  it  did  not  follow,  neither  was  it  the 
fact,  that  every  Bishop  had  only  one  city  within  his  Diocese  ; 
for  numerous  instances  can  be  given  to  prove  the  contrary. 
As  an  ordinary  rule,  however,  "an  Episcopal  Church  {or 
Diocese]  was  generally  a  city  and  a  whole  region,  of  the 
very  same  extent  with  the  power  of  the  civil  magistrate, 
whose  bounds  for  the  most  part  were  the  bounds  of  the 
Bishop's  Diocese  ;  though  the  rule  was  not  so  universal,  but 
that  it  admitted  of  some  particular  exceptions.""]' 

To  these  Episcopal  districts  or  bishoprics,  the  name  of 
Diocese  was  not  given  till  the  beginning  of  the  fourth  cen- 
tury. Before  that  period  they  were  denominated  Parochia ; 
from  which  circumstance  the  advocates  of  Presbyterianism 
have  endeavoured  to  prove  that  the  Episcopacy  of  the  primi- 
tive Church  was  simply  parochial — a  Bishop  being  no  more 


*  Bingham,  II.  p.  281.        t  Ibid,  II.  p.  284. 
17* 


198  DIOCESE. 

than  the  pastor  of  a  parish  Church,  whose  jurisdiction  ex- 
tended over  it,  and  the  clergy  who  might  be  his  assistants 
and  dependents.  But  it  is  demonstrable  that,  whatever  may- 
be the  case  now,  the  term  parochia  was  not,  at  the  period  in 
question,  the  designation  of  a  single  congregation  or  parish, 
but  of  "  the  towns  or  villages  near  a  city,  which,  together 
with  the  city,  was  the  Bishop's  Tlapoixja,  or  as  we  now  call 
it,  his  Diocese,  the  bounds  of  his  ordinary  care  and  juris- 
diction. That  thus  it  was,  appears  evidently  from  this,  that 
the  largest  Dioceses,  such  as  those  of  Rome,  Antioch,  and 
Alexandria,  which  had  many  particular  Churches  in  them, 
were  called  by  the  same  name,  as  the  reader  may  find  an 
hundred  passages  in  Eusebius,  where  he  uses  the  word 
Ilapouia,  when  he  speaks  of  those  large  and  populous  cities, 
which  had  many  particular  Churches  in  them."*  The  ob- 
jection therefore  amounts  to  nothing  more  than  a  quibble  on 
a  name,  and  is  defeated  by  the  slightest  reference  to  the  ac- 
tual state  of  things  in  the  early  Church. 

The  word  Diocese  came  into  use  for  a  bishopric,  at  an 
early  period  of  the  fourth  century,  but  it  was  not  till  a  later 
date  that  the  ancient  name  of  parochia  changed  its  applica- 
tion, by  being  appropriated  as  the  designation  of  a  single 
congregation,  such  as  we  now  call  a  parish  Church. 

In  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  of  the  United  States, 
the  limits  of  Dioceses  are  for  the  most  part  defined  by  the 
civil  boundaries  of  States  and  Territories,  in  agreement  with 
what  seems  to  have  been  the  ordinary  practice  of  the  primi- 
tive Church.  Provision  is  made,  however,  by  the  General 
Canons,  for  the  erection  of  new  Dioceses  within  the  limits  of 
those  now  defined  by  States,  whenever  the  growth  of  the 
Church,  and  the  decisions  of  their  Bishops  and  Conventions, 
may  require  it. 


Bingham,  II.  p.  282. 


DIP  199 

Every  Bishop  of  this  Church  is  required  to  "  confine  the 
exercise  of  his  Episcopal  office  to  his  proper  diocese  or  dis- 
trict, unless  requested  to  ordain  or  confirm,  or  perform  any- 
other  act  of  the  Episcopal  office,  by  any  Church  destitute  of 
a  Bishop."  * 

"  A  Diocese  without  a  Bishop,  may,  by  its  Convention,  be 
placed  under  the  full  Episcopal  charge  and  authority  of  the 
Bishop  of  another  Diocese,  who  shall  by  that  act  become  the 
Bishop  also  of  the  said  vacant  Diocese,  until  a  Bishop  is  duly 
elected  and  consecrated  for  the  same,  or  until  the  said  act  of 
its  Convention  be  revoked."  I 

A  congregation  in  one  Diocese,  may  not  unite  themselves 
with  the  Church  in  any  other  Diocese,  as  this  would  not  only 
be  irregular  and  contrary  to  the  principles  on  which  Dioceses 
are  framed,  but  would  produce  endless  confusion  and  litiga- 
tion in  the  administration  of  discipline,  &c.  Every  congre- 
gation, therefore,  is  "  considered  as  belonging  to  the  body  of 
the  Church  of  the  Diocese,  within  the  limits  of  which  they 
dwell,  or  within  which  there  is  seated  a  Church  to  which 
they  belong."  J 

DiPTYCHS.  In  a  very  early  age,  it  was  customary  to  have 
in  every  Church,  two  written  tables,  "  whereof  one  contained 
the  names  of  all  eminent  Bishops  and  Clergymen  then  living, 
with  whom  that  Church  held  Communion  and  correspond- 
ence ;  the  other  the  names  of  all  eminent  Bishops  and  other 
men  of  their  own,  or  other  Churches,  then  dead.  The  Dea- 
cons rehearsed  all  the  names  in  both  tables,  at  the  altar, 
whenever  the  Eucharist  was  celebrated.  These  tables  were 
by  the  Greeks  called  AiVrup^a,  and  by  some  English  writers 
Diptychs."  § 


♦  Article  IV,  of  the  General  Constitution, 
t  Canon  VII.  of  the  General  Convention. 
t  Canon  XLIII.   do. 
§  Johnson,  on  the  Canonical  Codes.. 


200  -  ^% 

Discipline.  The  discipline  of  the  Church  is  the  order  by 
which  it  is  regulated  and  preserved  from  error,  especially  in 
admonishing  and  correcting  those  members  who  have  com- 
mitted offences,  and  in  maintaining  the  truly  pious  in  the 
way  of  truth,  and  in  the  favor  of  God.  For  example :  if  a 
Minister  is  accused  of  some  error  or  crime,  he  is  brought  to 
trial  before  his  Bishop,  and  if  found  guilty,  is  either  reproved 
for  his  offence,  or  suspended  for  a  time  from  the  exercise 
of  his  ministry,  or  publicly  and  finally  discharged  from 
his  office.  See  Degradation.  If  a  communicant  be  found 
guilty,  he  may,  in  like  manner,  be  denied  a  place,  for  a 
time,  among  God's  people,  at  the  Lord's  Supper,  or  may 
be  openly  rejected  as  an  unworthy  and  wicked  person.  See 
Excommunication. 

The  discipline  of  the  Church  also  refers  to  those  Canons, 
laws,  and  customs  by  which  the  Church  exercises  her  cor- 
rective power,  and  her  salutary  influence, — without  which, 
instead  of  peace,  tranquillity  and  concord,  there  would  be 
danger  of  continual  disorder  and  confusion. 

"Discreetly."  In  a  careful  and  prudent  manner.  In 
the  baptism  of  Infants,  the  Minister  is  enjoined  by  the  rubric 
to  dip  the  child  "in  the  Water  discreetly^''  or  to  "pour 
Water  upon  it,"  &c.  The  need  of  such  a  precaution  is  ob- 
vious in  cases  of  immersion,  and  serves  to  illustrate  the  care 
and  tenderness  of  the  Church. 

Discretion.  Wherever,  in  the  services  of  the  Church, 
the  Prayer-book  gives  permission  to  the  Minister  to  omit,  to 
add  to,  or  differ  from  the  usual  order  of  worship,  he  is  said  to 
have  the  "  liberty  of  discretion,''^  or  the  right  to  follow  his 
own  choice  and  judgment.  The  following  are  cases  of  this 
kind  : — 

1.  In  the  Litany  he  may  omit  the  part  which  is  printed 
between  brackets,  thus  [  ],  and  over  which  is  written,  "  The 
Minister  may,  at  his  discretion,  omit  all  that  follows,  to  the 
prayer,  "  We  humbly  beseech  thee,  O  Father,"  &c. 


Dis  201 

2.  At  Morning  or  Evening  Prayer,  or  at  the  Communion, 
any  of  the  short  Collects  at  the  end  of  the  Communion  ser- 
vice,  may  be  added,  "at  the  discretion  of  the  Minister." 

3.  Instead  of  the  regular  Psalms  of  the  day,  any  one  of 
the  Selections  of  Psalms  may  be  used. 

4.  "  On  Days  of  Fasting  and  Thanksgiving,  appointed 
either  by  the  Civil  or  by  the  Ecclesiastical  Authority,  the 
Minister  may  appoint  such  Psalms  as  he  shall  think  fit  in  his 
discretion,  unless  any  shall  have  been  appointed  by  the  Eccle- 
siastical Authority,  in  a  Service  set  out  for  the  Occasion  ; 
which,  in  that  case,  shall  be  used,  and  no  other." 

5.  "  On  occasions  of  Ecclesiastical  Conventions,  and  those 
of  Charitable  Collections,  the  same  discretion  of  choice  is 
allowed "  in  selecting  Lessons  from  Holy  Scripture,  as  in 
choosing  Psalms.     See  4,  above. 

In  the  Communion  Service,  the  Order  for  Infant  Baptism, 
and  that  for  the  Visitation  of  the  Sick,  dz;c.,  &;c.,  the  Minister 
is  also  allowed  to  omit  or  to  use  certain  parts  at  his  discre- 
tion, or  as  he  may  think  most  proper  at  the  time. 

Dispensation.  A  privilege  granted  by  the  ecclesiastical 
authority,  under  peculiar  circumstances,  exempting  candidates 
for  Orders,  and  others,  from  a  strict  compliance  with  certain 
requisitions  of  the  Canons.  The  authority  by  which  a  dis- 
pensation is  made,  is  also  derived  from  the  Canons,  together 
with  the  limits  to  which  it  is  confined,  and  the  qualifications 
necessary  in  the  applicant. 

"Dissemble."  To  practise  deceit,  or  (as  it  is  used  in  the 
Exhortation  at  the  beginning  of  Morning  and  Evening  Prayer,) 
to  confess  with  our  lips,  what  we  do  not  believe  or  feel  in 
our  hearts.  "  We  should  not  dissemble  nor  cloke  [our  sins] 
before  the  face  of  Almighty  God,  our  heavenly  Father." 

Dissenters.  A  term  applied  in  England,  and  sometimes 
in  the  United  States,  to  those  religious  sects  which  differ  or 
dissent  from  the  views  entertained  by  the  Church,  and  are  not 
connected  with  her  ministrations  and  worship. 


202  Dox 

"Distempers."  See  the  Prayer  for  Persons  troubled  in 
mind  or  conscience,  in  the  Visitation  of  the  Sick.  "  Give 
him  strength  against  all  his  temptations,  and  heal  all  his 
distempers.''^ 

The  word  is  here  used  in  a  somewhat  obsolete  sense,  for 
distraction  and  uneasiness  of  mind, — a  want  of  due  regularity, 
or  balance  in  the  mental  faculties, — a  predominance  of  fear, 
terror  and  anguish  of  spirit. 

"Distinctly."     See  "Audible  voice." 

Dominical.  Pertaining  to  our  Lord,  as  dies  Domini,  the 
Lord's  day,  or  the  Dominical.  The  term  is  also  applied  to 
the  Lord's  prayer,  &c. 

Dominical  Letter.     See  Sunday  Letter. 

Doubles.     See  Concurrence  of  Holy  days. 

DoxoLOGY.  A  song  of  glory,  or  a  hymn  in  which  glory 
is  ascribed  to  God. 

The  noblest  and  most  animating  doxologies  of  the  Church, 
are  the  "  Gloria  Patri," — (Glory  be  to  the  Father,  &c.) — 
and  the  "  Gloria  in  excelsis,"  (Glory  be  to  God  on  high,  &c.) 
— both  of  which  are  not  only  venerable  for  their  antiquity, 
but  rich  with  the  life  of  devotion,  and  the  firm,  unswerving 
tone  of  divine  truth.  The  first  of  these  occurs  several  times 
in  the  appointed  Morning  and  Evening  services  ;  the  Church 
assuming,  that  every  sincere  Christian  will  love,  at  all  times, 
to  ascribe  glory  to  that  divine  Being,  who  hath  made,  re- 
deemed, and  sanctified  him. 

After  singing  one  of  the  Psalms  or  Hymns  in  metre,  it  is 
customary  to  conclude  with  a  doxology  to  the  same  tune. 
For  this  purpose,  the  Church  has  set  forth  several,  adapted 
to  all  the  varieties  of  metre  in  the  selection  of  Hymns,  and 
the  metrical  Psalms.  See  Gloria  in  excelsis,  and  Gloria 
Patri. 


EAS  203 


lEi. 


Easter  Collection.  In  the  Eastern  Diocese  it  is  ordered 
that  a  collection  be  annually  made  in  each  of  the  Churches, 
on  Easter  day,  or  as  soon  after  as  convenient,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  aiding  in  the  support  of  young  parishes,  and  sustain- 
ed the  missionary  operations  of  the  Diocese  in  general. 
The  funds  arising  from  these  collections  are  lodged  in  the 
hands  of  a  Treasurer,  and  are  subject  to  the  disposal  of  the 
Bishop. 

Easter  day.  The  great  festival  of  the  Resurrection  of 
our  Savior  Christ.  The  word  Easter  is  derived  from  the 
Saxon  "oster,"  signifying  "to  rise." 

This  sacred  festival  has  had  existence  from  the  earliest 
ages  of  the  Church,  and  there  can  be  little  doubt  of  its  apos- 
tolical authority.  "As  all  Christians,  on  the  preceding 
Friday,  stood,  as  it  were,  mournfully  by  the  cross  of  their 
Savior,  and  the  next  day  were  overwhelmed  with  grief  for 
his  departure.  The  Church  on  this  day,  upon  the  first  notice 
of  his  resurrection  from  the  grave,  calls  upon  us,  with  a 
becoming  and  holy  transport,  to  turn  our  heaviness  into  joy, 
to  put  off  our  sackcloth,  and  gird  ourselves  with  gladness. 

"  Among  the  primitive  Christians,  this  queen  of  feasts,  as 
they  called  it,  was  so  highly  esteemed,  that  it  was  solemnized 
fifty  days  successively ;  but  as  devotion  abated,  this  feast 
was  shortened  ;  the  whole  week,  however,  was  for  a  long 
time  observed  as  holy-days,  for  the  expression  of  their  joy 
for  our  Lord's  resurrection.  And  our  own  Church,  though 
she  appoints  only  particular  services  for  the  Monday  and 
Tuesday  following,  which  contain  full  evidences  of  our  Sa- 
vior's resurrection ;  yet  makes  provision  for  the  solemn 
observation  of  the  whole  week,  by  appointing,  in  the  office  of 
Communion,  a  preface  suitable  to  the  season  for  eight  days 
together." 


204  ELD 

Easter  even.  Properly,  the  evening  next  before  the 
Festival  of  Easter  ;  but,  according  to  usage,  the  whole  of  the 
day  preceding  that  Feast.  For  Easter  Even,  the  Church 
has  provided  Lessons  not  only  for  the  evening,  but  also  for 
a  morning  service.  And,  from  the  fact  of  there  being  also  an 
appointed  Collect,  Epistle,  and  Gospel,  it  would  seem  to  have 
been  the  intention  of  the  Church,  to  provide  for  a  full  morn- 
ing service,  for  at  that  time  only  could  the  Epistle  and  Gos- 
pel properly  be  used. 

Ecclesiastic.  A  person  holding  any  office  in  the  sacred 
ministry  of  the  Church. 

Ecclesiastical.  Relating  to  the  Church, — (Ecclesia.) 
Thus  the  laws  of  the  Church  are  Ecclesiastical  laws,  or 
Canons,  Ecclesiastical  history,  is  a  record  of  events  which 
have  transpired  in  the  Church.  The  surplice,  gown,  &c., 
are  frequently  called  Ecclesiastical  garments. 

Ecclesiastical  administration.     See  Administration. 

Ecumenical,  or  GEcumenical,  A  term  applied  to  General 
Councils  of  the  Christian  Church,  to  distinguish  them  from 
provincial  or  national  assemblies  of  the  same  kind.  See 
Council. 

Ejaculation.  A  short  and  sudden  prayer,  such,  for  ex- 
ample, as  "  God  be  merciful  to  me,  a  sinner  !  "  "  Lord  have 
mercy  upon  us."  "  O  Christ  hear  us."  The  disciples,  when 
overtaken  by  a  storm  on  the  sea  of  Galilee,  uttered  an  ejacu- 
lation when  they  cried  "  Lord,  save  us,  we  perish  !  "  Blind 
Bartimeus,  also,  when  he  prayed,  "  Jesus,  thou  Son  of  David, 
have  mercy  on  rne,"  and  Paul,  when  he  cried  out  at  his  con- 
version,  "  Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ?  "  The  Psalms 
of  David  abound  with  holy  ejaculations,  which  every  devout 
Christian  may  treasure  up  in  his  memory,  to  offer  to  God  in 
seasons  of  sudden  danger  or  temptation  ;  for  these  brief 
petitions  are  heard  in  heaven,  and  will  be  answered  by  Him, 
who  never  forgets  the  sorrows  and  griefs  of  a  contrite  heart. 

Elder.     One  of  the  Scripture  names  of  the  second  order 


END  205 

of  Ministers  in  the  Church  of  Christ.  The  title  of  Presbyter 
or  Priest  is  of  the  same  import,  and  is  now  more  generally 
used.     See  Bishop. 

Elements.  The  materials  used  in  the  Sacraments,  and 
appointed  for  that  purpose  by  Christ  himself.  Thus  water 
is  the  element  of  baptism,  and  bread  and  wine  of  the  Holy 
Communion. 

Elevation  of  the  Host.  A  practice  in  the  Romish  Church, 
of  lifting  up  the  consecrated  wafer  or  bread  in  the  Eucharist, 
to  be  seen  and  adored  by  the  people.  In  allusion  to  this 
ceremony,  the  Church  declares  in  her  28th  Article,  that 
"  Tile  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper  was  not  by  Christ's 
Ordinance  reserved,  carried  about,  lifted  up,  or  wor shipped. ^^ 

Ember  days.  These  are  the  Wednesday,  Friday,  and 
Saturday  after  the  first  Tuesday  in  Lent,  the  feast  of  Whit- 
Sunday,  the  14th  of  September,  and  the  13th  of  December; 
the  Sundays  following  these  days  being  the  stated  times  of 
ordination  in  the  Church.  The  weeks  in  which  these  days 
fall  are  called  Ember  weeks. 

The  derivation  of  the  name  is  uncertain.  It  has  been 
supposed  by  some  to  signify  "ashes,"  and  by  others,  "absti- 
nence," in  allusion  to  the  ancient  customs  connected  with 
fasting.  The  fact  that  the  Ember  weeks  return  at  stated 
periods,  has  led  others  to  trace  the  name  to  a  Saxon  word 
signifying  a  "course"  or  "cycle."  In  the  Western  Church 
they  were  denominated  "the  Fasts  of  the  Four  Seasons." 
On  these  days  "the  design  of  the  Church  is  to  call  her  mem- 
bers,  by  prayer  and  fasting,  to  invoke  the  divine  aid  and  bless- 
ing on  the  choice  and  commission  of  ministers  of  the  Gospel. 
The  deep  interest  every  Christian  heart  should  feel  in  a  mat- 
ter of  such  infinite  moment,  should  secure  for  these  days  the 
pious  observance  of  the  members  of  the  Church." 

"  Endow."  To  furnish  a  person  or  object  with  a  portion 
of  money,  or  other  property,  as  in  the  settling  of  a  dower  in 

18 


206  ENL 

marriage,  or  the  appropriation  of  a  fund  to  the  support  of  an 
institution  of  learning,  &;c. 

In  the  marriage  service  of  the  Church,  the  word  occurs  in 
a  connection,  where,  when  taken  in  the  popular  rather  than 
the  strict  and  proper  sense,  c<)rtain  misgivings  have  arisen  in 
many  minds,  as  to  the  extent  of  obligation  involved.  The 
passage  alluded  to  is  as  follows  :  "  With  this  ring  I  thee  wed, 
and  with  all  my  worldly  goods  1  thee  endow ;  In  the  name  of 
the  Father,"  &c.  By  recurring  to  the  original  signification 
of  the  term,  it  will  be  evident  that  the  husband  does  not  here 
constitute  the  wife  sole  and  absolute  proprietor  of  all  his 
worldly  goods,  for  this  would  imply  an  obligation  on  his  part 
to  relinquish  all  right  to  manage  or  dispose  of  such  property, 
except  as  his  wife's  agent  or  by  her  express  permission. 
On  the  contrary,  all  that  the  Church  designs,  in  this  promise 
is  the  declaration  on  the  part  of  the  husband,  of  his  wife's 
right  to  a  maintenance  by  participation  in  his  fortune  and 
estate,  and  of  such  further  interest  in  his  property  as  may 
arise  from  previous  contract,  the  laws  of  the  state,  the 
customs  of  society,  or  the  honor,  respect,  and  affection, 
which  are  required  by  Scripture,  as  due  from  men  to  their 
wives. 

Enlightened.  This  term  was,  in  the  ancient  Church,  a 
designation  of  those  who  had  been  baptized.  The  epithet, 
Il/ummaied,  had  a  similar  application,  in  allusion  to  the 
heavenly  light  imparted  by  the  gospel  to  those  who  had  just 
emerged  from  the  gloom  of  paganism.  The  following  are 
examples  of  the  use  of  the  former  term.  "  One  lately  en- 
lightened ought  not  to  be  promoted  to  the  Sacerdotal  Order,"* 
that  is,  a  newly  baptized  person  should  not  be  ordained  a 
Priest.  Again,  "  They  who  are  to  be  enlightened,  ought 
perfectly  to  learn  the  Creed,  and  rehearse  it  to  the  Bishops 


♦  Canon  III.  of  the  Counc  I  of  Laodicea. 


EPi  20? 

or  Priests  on  Maundy  Thursday,"*  in  readiness  for  their 
baptism  on  Easter,  the  Sunday  following. 

Epact.  In  Chronology,  and  in  the  tables  for  the  calcula- 
tion of  Easter,  a  number  indicating  the  excess  of  the  solar 
above  the  lunar  year.  The  solar  year  consisting  in  round 
numbers  of  365  days,  and  the  lunar,  of  twelve  months,  of 
twcnty-nine  and  a  half  days  each,  or  354  days,  there  will  be 
an  overplus  in  the  solar  year  of  11  days,  and  this  constitutes 
the  Epact,  In  other  words,  the  epact  of  any  year  expresses 
the  number  of  days  from  the  last  new  mc  on  of  the  old  year, 
which  was  the  beginning  of  the  present  lunar  year,  to  the 
first  of  January.  In  the  first  year,  therefore,  it  will  be  0  ; 
in  the  second  11  days  ;  in  the  third  twice  11,  or  22  ;  and  in 
the  fourth  it  would  be  11  days  more,  or  33 ;  but  30  days  be- 
ing a  synodical  month,  will  in  that  year  be  intercalated,  mak» 
ing  thirteen  synodical  months,  and  the  remaining  3  is  then 
the  epact.  in  the  following  year  11  will  again  be  added, 
making  14  for  the  epact,  and  so  on  to  the  end  of  the  cycle, 
•adding  11  to  the  epact  of  the  last  year,  and  always  rejecting 
30,  by  counting  it  as  an  additional  month. 

Epiphany.  "  The  Ei)iphany,  or  Manifestation  of  Christ 
to  the  Gentiles,  happens  on  the  6th  of  January,  and  denotes 
the  day  on  which  the  wise  men  came  from  the  East  to  wor- 
ship the  infant  Jesus.  Matt.  ii.  4.  Let  us  be  thankful  for 
the  light  of  the  Gospel,  which  on  that  day  began  to  shine  on 
those  who  sat  in  darkness.     Isaiah  ix.  2;   Matt.  iv.  16. 

"  The  word  Epiphany  is  derived  from  the  Greek  compound 
verb,  which  signifies  to  manifest  or  declare,  and  was  at  first 
used  both  for  Christmas-day,  when  Christ  was  manifested  in 
the  flesh,  and  for  this  day,  (to  which  it  is  now  more  properly 
appropriated,)  when  he  was  manifested  by  a  star  to  the 
Gentiles." 

Besides  the  more  usual  name,  we  find  it  called  by  ancient 


*  Canon  XLVI.  of  the  Couneil  of  Laodicea. 


208  EPi 

writers  "  the  Day  of  the  Holy  Lights ;  "  and  "  the  Theophany," 
or  Manifestation  of  God. 

"  The  principal  design  of  our  Church,  in  the  celebration  of 
this  festival,  is  to  show  our  gratitude  to  God  for  manifesting 
the  Gospel  to  the  Gentile  world,  and  vouchsafing  to  them 
equal  privileges  with  the  Jews,  who  had  been  all  along  his 
peculiar  people  ;  the  first  instance  of  which  divine  favor  was 
in  declaring  the  birth  of  Christ  to  the  wise  men  of  the  East. 

In  all,  however,  there  are  three  great  manifestations  of  our 
Savior  commemor  ited  on  this  festival,  all  which  happened, 
according  to  St.  C-hrysostom,  on  the  same  day  in  ditferent 
years.  The  first,  his  manifestation  to  the  magi,  or  wise  men, 
by  a  star,  which  conducted  them  to  the  place  where  the  child 
Jesus  lay,  and  where  they  paid  him  their  respective  tributes 
of  adoration.  The  second  manifestation  was  that  of  the 
.glorious  Trinity  at  his  baptism.  Tlie  third  was  the  mani- 
festation of  the  glory  and  divinity  of  Christ,  by  his  miracu- 
lous change  of  water  into  wine  at  the  marriage  feast  in  Cana 
of  Galilee." 

.  This  festival  was  observed  in  the  time  of  Gregory  Nazi- 
anzen,  whose  sermon  upon  "  the  Holy  Lights,"  is  upon  this 
day.  Epiphanius  and  Chrysostom  have  likewise  sermons 
upon  it.  St.  Augustine,  in  his  time,  speaks  of  it  as  univer- 
sally  celebrated  by  the  Catholic  Church,  and  neglected  by 
none  but  the  schismatical  D  jnatists. 

Episcopacy.  By  this  term  is  sometimes  understood  the 
entire  system  of  doctrine,  order,  discipline,  &c.  of  the  Pro- 
testant Episcopal  Church.  More  properly  it  denotes  the 
form  of  ministry  in  the  Church,  comprising  the  three  Orders 
of  Bishops,  Priests,  and  Deacons,  and  in  this  sense  alone  we 
shall  use  it  in  the  present  article. 

That  it  was  the  design  of  our  Blessed  Redeemer  to  con- 
tinue a  ministry  in  the  Church,  after  his  ascension,  is  a  truth 
for  which  we  ask  no  better  proof  than  that  furnished  by  the 
narratives  of  the  EvangeHsts,  and  the  practice  of  the  Apos- 


EPISCOPACY.  209 

ties.  If  then  a  ministry  divinely  authorized  was  to  exist,  it 
is  equally  evident  that  it  would  assume  some  definite  form. 
It  would  consist  either  of  a  ?ingle  grade  of  office,  in  which 
every  person  ordained  would  have  an  equal  share  in  its  func- 
tions  and  prerogatives,  or  of  two,  three  or  more  grades,  dis- 
tinguished from  each  other  by  degrees  of  authority  and  pecu- 
liarities of  duty.  In  the  first  of  these  cases  the  ministry 
would  be  Congregational  or  Presbyterian  ;  in  the  second  it 
would  necessarily  involve  the  principle  of  Episcopacy. 

There  is  another  point  to  be  noticed.  There  must  exist 
somewhere^  the  power  of  transmitting  tha  ministry  by  ordi- 
nation.  On  the  Presbyterian  hypothesis,  with  its  single 
grade  of  office,  this  power  is  lodged  in  every  minister,  but  to 
be  exercised  by  a  body  of  them  collectively,  in  the  form  of  a 
Presbytery.  On  the  Episcopal  model,  comprehending  the 
three  grades  of  Bishop,  Priest,  and  Deacon,  this  highest 
ministerial  act  is  limited  to  the  superior  ministerial  grade — 
the  functions  of  each  grade  rising  in  exact  correspondence 
with  the  degrees  of  authority  committed  to  them. 

We  say  then,  that  the  Christian  ministry  must  have  the 
form,  either  of  several  distinct  orders,  or  of  only  one  ;  and 
that  the  power  of  ordination  (to  which  we  may  add  that  of 
jurisdiction)  will  be  in  the  hands  of  all  ministers,  or  in  those 
of  some  only.  It  is  manifest  that  whatever  may  prove  itself 
to  be  THE  form  of  ministry  established  and  authorized  by 
Jesus  Christ,  every  other  must  be  altogether  void  of  such 
authority,  and  based  simply  on  human  appointment.  For 
there  are  no  two  forms  of  ministry  in  existence,  which  are 
not  utterly  contradictory  and  hostile  to  each  other.  Both 
cannot  possibly  be  right  ;  and  to  suppose  that  He  who  is  the 
fountain  of  all  wisdom  could  have  been  the  author  of  such 
inevitable  disorder — a  kind  of  disorder  which  must  ever  keep 
the  axe  at  the  root  of  that  uiiUy  ior  which  He  prayed,  is  not 
only  an  absurdity,  but  an  opinion  equally  repudiated  by  all 
parties. 

18* 


210  EPISCOPACY. 

So  far,  we  have  concerned  ourselves  mainly  with  theory. 
Let  us  now  look  abroad  on  the  Christian  world,  and  see  in 
what  manner  this  is  borne  out  and  illustrated  hy  fact. 

At  the  first  glance  we  are  struck  by  observing  a  wide  dis- 
crepancy in  the  views  and  practice  of  religious  bodies,  con- 
cerning the  matter  before  us.     In  one  quarter  we  find  stren- 
uous advocates  of  a  ministry  embracing  but  a  single  grade  ; 
some  of  these  deriving  their  powers  from  lay  appointment  ; 
others  referring  them  to  an  ordination  by  a  presbytery.     In 
another  quarter  we  notice  a  ministry  having  three  grades, 
viz..  Bishops,  Priests,  and  Deacons,  with  the  ordaining  power 
residing  onlv  in  the  highest  order.     If  we  bring  these  to  a 
numerical  comparison,  we  discover  that  this  latter  form  em- 
braces nearly  seven  parts  in  nine  of  the  whole  of  Christendom, 
while  all  the  other  varieties  may  be  comprised  in  the  remain- 
ing two.       To  determine,    which   of  these  is  the  true  and 
authorized  ministry  of  the  New  Testament,  we  shall  here  re- 
duce them  to  two  classes,  viz.,  that  which  exists  in  one  grade, 
and  that  which  exists  in  three ;  or,  in  other  words,  the  Pres- 
byterian and  the  Episcopal  forms  ;  and  following  the  line  of 
history,  trace  them  back  to  their  origin,  wherever  it  may 
lead  us. 

1.  Of  the  Presbyterian  theory.  By  ascending  to  a  period 
a  little  subsequent  to  the  Reformation — a  period  of  compara- 
tively modern  date,  we  find  Presbyterianism  in  existence,  but 
under  circumstances  not  a  little  remarkable.  The  Conti- 
nental reformers  (so  far  as  they  were  in  holy  orders)  had 
received  their  ministerial  commission  from  the  Romish 
Church — a  Church  strictly  Episcopal.  Not  one  of  them  had 
been  ordained  by  a  Presbytery,  but  in  every  case  their  orders 
were  derived  from  individual  Bishops.  And  what  is  still  more 
remarkable,  at  the  time  when  Luther  arose,  there  was  not  a 
Church  in  the  whole  world  which  held  that  Presbyters  either 
singly,  or  combined  in  a  Presbytery,  had  any  power  or  right 
to  ordain  persons  to  the  ministry.     However,  as  the  Refer* 


EPISCOPACY.  211 

ination  proceeded,  the  novel  opinion  was  broached  by  some, 
that  there  was  no  very  essential  ditference  between  a  Bishop 
and  a  Presbyter,  and  that  as  the  former  unquestionably  pos- 
sessed the  power  of  transmittiiig  the  commission  to  minister 
in  holy  things,  so  did  the  other  also  : — ergo,  Luther,  Calvin, 
Melancthon,  &c.,  &c.,  were  as  competent  to  ordain  as  any 
existing  Bishop.  To  fortify  this  opinion,  recourse  was  had 
to  the  primitive  fathers,  and  to  the  New  Testament.  In  sift- 
ing the  former,  so  unpropitious  was  the  task,  that  it  had  well 
nigh  been  given  up  in  despair,  but  for  a  plausible  sentence  or 
two  in  the  aberrations  of  St.  Jerome.  These  formed  the 
sum  total  of  argument  from  antiquity;  and  even  thjse  were 
nullified  by  the  astounding  declaration  of  the  same  Father, 
that  it  was  the  peculiar  province  of  the  Bishop  to  ordain. 
On  turning  to  the  New  Testament,  there  was  the  same  dearth 
of  testimony  :  for  though  Timothy  was  ordained  with  the 
laying  on  of  the  hands  of  the  Presbytery,  yet  Paul  the  Apostle 
conveyed  the  ministry  by  the  laying  on  of  his  hands,  which 
made  it  a  regular  Episcopal  ordination.  Neither  was  there 
found  a  case  in  which  Presbyters  were  instructed  in  matters 
pertaining  to  ordination,  or  any  indication  that  they  had  any 
such  power  in  possession.  When  Paul  met  the  Elders  (or 
Presbyters)  at  Miletus,  it  doe^  not  appear  that  he  said  one 
word  to  them  on  the  subject ;  and  all  who  were  ordained  in 
the  Churches  founded  by  the  Apostles,  received  their  com- 
mission direct  from  them,  or  from  the  hands  of  those  who 
partook  with  them  of  the  Apostolic  office.  But  there  yet 
remained  a  shadow  of  an  argument  in  the  fact,  that  the 
names  of  Bishop  and  Presbyter  are  used  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment for  the  same  office.  This  all  allow  ;  and  yet  it  is 
nothing  to  the  purpose.  For  the  Apostles,  at  that  time,  were 
■^  strictly  what  have  since  been  called  Bishops ;  and  the  name 
Bishop  was  given  to  an  inferior  order.  The  names  were 
nothing,  so  long  as  the  offices  were  distinct ;  and  an  argu- 
ment on  such  a  basis  is  a  mere  play  upon  words.     Driven 


212  EPISCOPACY. 

then  from  the  New  Testament,  and  finding  no  support  in  an- 
tiquity,  and  knowing  that  the  whole  Christian  world  denied 
the  validity  of  ordination  by  Presbyters,  the  only  ground  on 
which  the  non-episcopal  Reformers  could  sustain  them- 
selves, was  by  pleading  the  necessity  of  the  case.  They  were 
about  to  proceed  to  establish  a  ministry,  without  the  right  or 
power  to  do  it; — a  ministry  unheard  of  in  the  Christian 
Church  ;  and  in  justice  to  them,  let  it  be  said,  that  they 
grounded  it  chiefly  on  the  plea  of  necessity.  This  or  none, 
was  by  them  supposed  to  be  the  alternative  ;  and  with  many 
sorrowings  of  heart  because  Bishops  were  not  to  be  had, 
they  did  what  they  thought  the  exigency  of  the  case  de- 
manded. 

It  will  here  be  perceived,  that  while  we  have  not  traced 
Presbyterian  ordination  further  back  than  about  250  years, 
we  have  already  arrived  at  its  fountain  head.  Before  the 
Reformation,  for  a  period  of  1500  years,  ordination  by  pres- 
byters was  totally  unknown,  except  in  a  few  crooked  cases, 
where  the  attempt  was  made,  and  followed  by  instant  con- 
demnation  from  the  Church,  and  the  declaration  that  they 
were  utterly  null  and  void. 

Whether  the  plea  of  necessity  was  a  just  one,  or  indeed 
whether  it  can  ever  occur,  is  a  question  worthy  of  considera- 
tion.  It  has  been  said,  that  "the  continental  Churches  might 
long  since  have  conformed  to  the  apostolical  model ;  the  Dutch 
Church  might,  at  a  very  early  period,  have  obtained  orders 
from  the  neighbouring  Episcopate  of  Denmark  and  Sweden, 
or,  no  doubt  from  England  ;  the  French  Church  might  have 
done  so,  possibly  since  the  Regent's  administration,  certainly 
in  the  reign  of  Louis  XVI.  Switzerland,  like  Holland,  has 
possessed  an  opportunity  of  completing  its  Reformation  on 
the  Episcopal  standard  for  centuries."*    If  such  be  the  case, 


Christiaa  Remembrancer,  (Loncl.) 


EPISCOPACY.  213 

that  Luther,  Calvin,  and  others,  might  by  a  little  more  effort 
and  patience  have  obtained  Episcopal  ordination  for  their 
Churches,  it  is  difficult  to  conceive  any  tenable  gnmnd  of 
defence  for  a  ministry  not  derived  by  succession  from  the 
Apostles  ;  for  it  must  be  evident  that  the  plea  of  successive 
presbyteries  handing  down  the  ministerial  commission,  (which 
is  the  High  Church  Presbyterian  theory,)  fails  altogether 
when  the  above  facts  are  taken  into  view. 

We  now  turn,  2d,  to  the  Episcopal  theory.  At  the  pre- 
sent  day,  we  find  that  the  prevalence  of  a  ministry  of  Bishops, 
Priests,  and  Deacons,  is  so  great  as  to  embrace  by  for  the 
largest  part  of  the  Christian  world.  Whatever  may  be  the 
corruptions  of  some  branches  of  the  Church,  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures and  the  Apostolic  ministry  have  been  preserved  in 
their  original  integrity.  And  we  beg  the  reader  carefully 
to  distinguish  between  the  ministry  itself,  and  all  abuses  and 
corruptions  with  which  it  may  have  become  connected  in 
certain  Churches.  It  is  easy,  then,  to  trace  Episcopacy  by 
its  lines  of  Bishops,  not  only  back  to  the  Reformation,  but 
into  the  depths  of  antiquity,  till  we  arrive  ct  its  origin  in  the 
days  of  the  Apostles.  The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in 
the  United  States,  has  her  catalogue  of  Bishops  back  to  the 
year  1787.  In  that  year.  Bishops  White  and  Provoost  were 
consecrated  in  England;  and  in  1784,  Bishop  Seabury,  of 
Connecticut,  received  consecration  in  Scotland.  From  that 
date,  the  chain  of  Bishops  may  be  traced  back  by  name  for  a 
period  of  about  1200  years.  At  an  age  still  earlier  than 
this,  the  British  Church  was  represented  in  councils  by  its 
Bishops  ;  and  we  are  thus  landed,  with  scarcely  an  effort,  in 
an  age  when  the  direct  successors  of  the  Apostles,  (and  pro- 
bably St.  Paul  himself,)  declared  the  gospel  among  the  an- 
cient inhabitants  of  Britain.  If  we  take  the  Romish  or  the 
Greek  Church, — both  Episcopal, — the  chain  of  succession  is 
equally  clear  and  unbroken.     Apply  the  same  test  to  any 


214  EPISCOPACY. 

Other  Episcopal  Church,*  and  we  arrive  at  the  same  result. 
In  fact,  it  is  onl}^  necessary  to  verify  the  succession  as  far  back 
as  the  Reformation,  to  arrive  at  the  proof  of  an  Apostolical 
origin  ;  for,  as  we  have  already  stated,  before  that  era  therQ 
was  no  ministry  in  existence  but  that  which  had  come  down 
direct  from  the  Apostles  ;  i.  e.,  the  Episcopal. 

If  it  be  alleged,  that  these  Bishops  were  simply  the  ordi- 
nary Pastors  of  Churches,  we  prove  the  contrary  by  the 
united  testimony  of  history  ; — by  the  fact,  that  they  only  or- 
dained ; — that  they  only  formed  the  councils  of  the  Church, 
into  which  Presbyters,  &:c.,  were  admitted  simply  by  cour- 
tes}^ ; — that  a  manifest  distinction  between  them  and  the  in- 
ferior clergy  is  apparent  from  their  duties,  prerogatives,  and 
titles  ;  and  that  in  the  writings  of  men  who  lived  1600  or 
1700  years  ago,  this  distinction  is  as  clear  as  in  the  works 
of  Hobart  and  Ravenscroft,  or  the  Canons  of  our  General 
Convention.  If  the  reader  require  proof,  we  refer  him  to 
the  Epistles  of  Ignatius,  from  which  we  might  quote  at  length 
did  not  our  limits  admonish  us  to  be  brief. 

That  Episcopacy  was  universal  at  a  period  very  little  later 
than  the  apostolic  age,  is  indeed  freely  admitted  by  many  of 
its  opponents,  while  they  deny  its  divine  origin,  and  its  per- 
petual obligation  in  the  Church.  Now  if  there  be  any  truth 
in  history,  it  is  clear  that  Episcopacy  was  the  only  ministry 
of  the  Church,  not  only  near  the  apostolic  age,  but  in  Imme- 
diaie  juxtaposition  with  it.  There  were  no  doubts  on  the 
subject — -no  controversies  about  it  resembling  those  of  our 
own  da}^  Whence  then  did  it  come?  How  did  it  happen, 
that  at  the  time  when  St.  John  died,  (say  A.  D.  100,)  all  the 
world  was  Episcopal  ?  Respecting  some  of  the  hooks  of 
Scripture  there  were  doubts  expressed  by  some,  and  this  for 
two  or  three  centuries  :  yet  we  feel  no  hesitation  now  in  rely- 


*  The  Methodist  Episcopal  excepted,  wh  ch  derived  its  Bishops  from 
the  Rev.  John  Weslej',  a  Presbyter  of  the  Church  of  England. 


EPISCOPACY.  215 

ing  on  the  ultimate  decision  of  the  Church.  We  receive  the 
ancient  canon  of  Scripture  with  unwavering  faith,  trusting  in 
the  testimony  of  the  Church,  notwithstanding  the  local  doubts 
which  had  prevailed.  Now  as  it  respects  the  ministry,  we 
read  of  but  one  universal  opinion,  in  which  all  were  agreed, 
viz.,  that  it  was  Episcopal ;  consequently,  our  persuasion  of 
the  existence  of  Episcopacy  in  immediate  connection  with 
the  Apostles,  should  be  firm  and  decided  in  the  highest  de- 
gree. We  ask  then,  from  whence  did  Episcopacy  come? 
There  can  be  but  one  answer — from  the  inspired  Apostles 
and  their  Divine  Master.  And  if  we  turn  to  the  New  Test- 
ament, there  we  find  the  evidence  of  its  establishment.  When 
our  Lord  was  on  earth.  He  was  the  Bishop  of  the  infant 
Church.  Under  him  were  the  twelve,  in  a  secondary  grade  ; 
and  below  these  the  seventy,  in  the  third  grade.  Immediately 
before  the  ascension,  the  twelve  were  solemnly  advanced  to 
the  Episcopal  office,  by  having  new  ministerial  powers 
imparted  to  them.  And  in  the  future  history  of  the  Church, 
we  find  them  exercising  these  peculiar  powers,  in  ordain-  . 
ing,  confirming,  and  in  acts  of  jurisdiction.  Besides  the 
Apostles,  there  were  two  other  grades  of  ministers,  viz., 
Presbyters  or  Elders,  (also  called  Bishops,  so  long  as  the 
superior  order  had  the  name  of  Apostles,)  and  the  lower 
grade  of  Deacons.  To  the  Apostles  (Bishops  proper)  alone 
belonged  the  power  of  ordination.  Hence  we  read  nothing 
about  ordinations  by  Presbyters  or  Deacons,  nor  are  there 
any  intimations  in  the  New  Testament  that  they  possessed 
this  power.  Indeed,  only  one  or  two  passages  are  alleged 
by  Presbyterians,  in  vindication  of  their  hypothesis.  One 
of  these,  in  the  case  of  Timothy,  we  have  already  noticed. 
The  other,  in  Acts  xiii.  1-3,  is  singularly  unfortunate,  not 
being  an  ordination  at  all.  Paul  and  Barnabas,  on  that 
occasion,  were  merely  "separated"  from  their  brethren,  by 
command  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  to  undertake  a  cevidiin  mis- 
sionary tour ;  having  been  in  the  ministry  (and  Apostles  too) 


216  EPISCOPACY. 

for  many  years  before.  Nothing  can  be  more  clear,  than  that 
a  ministry  in  one  grade  only,  is  not  to  be  found  in  the  New 
Testament  ;  and  the  few  facts  we  have  cited,  to  which  if  we 
had  room,  a  multitude  of  others  might  be  added,  show  that 
the  several  duties  of  the  ministry  were  not  performed  in 
common  by  all  ministers.  Philip,  the  deacon,  could  not  coiu 
firm  the  Samaritans, — hence  two  Apostles  went  to  them  for 
that  purpose.  The  elders  at  Ephesus  could  not  ordain; 
hence  Timothy  was  sent  there  empowered  with  that  author- 
ity ; — ^jurisdiction  and  discipline  were  committed  to  Apostolic 
hands,  and  the  elders,  deacons,  and  laity  were  under  their 
control.  In  short,  if  we  believe  that  the  ministry,  as  ordained 
by  Jesus  Christ  and  his  inspire  1  Apostles,  was  Episcopal,  the 
New  Testament  is  intelligible  to  any  capacity  ;  but  on  any 
other  hypothesis,  its  obscurities  and  difficulties  are  not  only 
endless,  but  require  a  wide  and  perilous  license  of  inter- 
pretation. 

We  have  seen  then,  that  a  ministry  of  Bishops,  Priests,  and 
Deacons,  was  established  by  the  direct  interposition  of  divine 
authority.  To  this  the  New  Testament  and  the  Church  of 
all  ages  are  witness.  It  was  foreshadowed  by  the  three 
orders  of  the  Jewish  Church  ;  and  after  the  lapse  of  long 
ages,  is  now  the  ministry  of  the  (  hurch  Catholic.  That  it 
was  to  be  perpetuated,  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  the  Church 
was  to  be  perpetuated.  In  that  Church  a  ministry  was  to 
exist;  and  as  authority  was  given  only  to  one  ministry,  that, 
if  any,  must  be  the  ministry  of  the  Church.  The  powers  of 
the  sacred  office  are  not  of  human  origin ;  but  if  not  human, 
then  are  they  divine  ;  and  if  divine,  then  must  they  be  ob- 
tained either  directly  or  indirectly  from  the  source  of  author- 
ity ;  {indirectly,  they  will  be  verified  by  miracle  ;  \\  indirectly ^ 
they  will  come  by  transmission  through  the  line  of  Bishops 
from  the  Apostles,  who  were  themselves  constituted  by  the 
Sen  of  God. 

Recurring  to  fact,  w^e  see  that  Episcopacy  was  perpetuated  : 


EPi  217 

but  this  can  be  said  of  no  other  ministry.  Had  not  this  been 
so,  the  Church  must  have  had  either  no  ministry  at  all,  or  one 
founded  simply  on  human  authority.  On  Episcopacy  then, 
we  can  rest  with  a  certainty  of  divine  warrant ;  with  an 
assurance  that  its  authority  flows  from  the  fountain  of  power ; 
with  a  confidence  of  God's  approbation,  equal  to  that  of  any 
Christian  living  in  the  age  of  the  Apostles.  See  Apostle. 
Bishop.  Church.  Deacon.  Jure  divino,  and  Uninter- 
rupted Succession. 

Episcopal.  From  Episcopus,  (a  Bishop,)  denoting  some 
relation  between  Bishops  and  the  thing  to  which  the  term  is 
applied. 

Episcopal  Church.  Properly,  any  Church  possessing  a 
ministry  of  Bishops,  Priests,  and  Deacons.  In  its  popular 
sense,  those  reformed  Churches  which  have  such  a  ministry  ; 
e.  g.  the  Church  of  England,  with  that  of  Scotland,  Ireland, 
6z;c.,  and  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United 
States.  To  the  latter  branch,  we  shall  for  the  most  part  con- 
fine  our  remarks. 

The  ministerial  order,  sacraments,  usages,  &c.,  of  this 
Church,  it  is  the  design  of  the  present  work  to  illustrate  and 
explain.  Of  these  we  have  endeavored  to  treat  under  their 
appropriate  heads  ;  and  instead  of  attempting  a  synopsis,  the 
reader  is  referred  to  the  several  articles  on  which  he  may 
desire  information. 

The  doctrines  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  profess 
to  be,  in  the  strictest  sense,  evangelical,  i.  e.  the  very  doc- 
trines set  forth  in  the  Gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  in  all. 
their  simplicity  and  harmony, — free  from  the  entanglements 
of  metaphysics,  and  the  heretical  interpretations  of  modern 
speculatists.  Throughout  the  Liturgy,  the  Articles,  &c., 
there  is  a  constant  recognition  of  the  corruption  of  human 
nature ;  the  inability  of  man  "  without  faith  and  calling 
upon  God,"  to  perform  works  acceptable  to  Him  ; — the  doc 
trine  of  "justification  and  salvation  only  through  the  free. 

19 


218  EPISCOPAL   CmJRCH. 

grace  of  God  in  Jesus  Christ " ; — the  absolute  necessity  of  a 
spiritual  change,  or  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  and  the 
need  of  divine  influence  to  promote  and  sustain  the  work  of 
sanctificaticn.  These  stand  prominent  among  the  doctrines 
of  the  Church,  and  eminently  distinguish  her  as  "  the  pillar 
and  ground  "  of  those  great  truths,  on  which  alone  depend 
the  present  hopes  and  the  future  deliverance  of  sinful  man. 

With  these  cardinal  principles  of  the  Christian  faith  dis- 
tinctly  defined  in  her  standards,  and  maintained  by  her  sons, 
the  Church  began  her  career  in  the  colonies  which  now  form 
the  United  States.  It  will  easily  be  apprehended  that  the 
planting  of  the  Gospel  in  a  new  and  almost  untrodden 
country,  must  demand  no  trifling  amount  of  self-devotion  and 
fortitude  in  those  who  undertake  it.  But  there  are  also  per- 
plexities, trials,  and  privations,  which  seldom  meet  the  public 
eye,  and  are  only  to  be  appreciated  by  those  whom  Providence 
calls  to  endure  them.  And  in  the  ordinary  mode  of  con- 
ducting foreign  missions  under  the  Episcopal  regimen,  a 
further  and  peculiar  disadvantage  arises  from  the  absence  of 
the  superior  order  of  the  ministry,  and  the  consequent  impos- 
sibility of  carrying  out  fully  the  beneficial  purposes  of  the 
Church.  With  a  fair  allotment  of  these  lessons  of  patience, 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Hunt,  in  company  with  a  band  of  enterprising 
and  pious  Churchmen,  landed,  in  the  year  1607,  on  the  coast 
of  Virginia.  How  well  they  sped,  and  what  are  the  "  changes 
and  chances  "  which  time  brings  about,  may  be  learned  from 
their  dismantled  edifice,  with  its  picturesque  tower,  yet  to  be 
seen  on  the  bank  of  James  River. 

In  the  south,  with  so  zealous  a  beginr^ing,  the  Church  grew 
apace,  notwithstanding  the  attempted  administration  of  sundry 
buffetings  from  the  religionists  of  another  quarter,  and  the 
drawbacks  arising  from  a  dependence  on  the  mother  country 
for  Clergy  and  the  necessary  acts  of  jurisdiction.  But  in  the 
northern  Colonies,  where  the  Church  stood  in  the  minority  in 
point  of  numbers,  there  was  to  be  encountered  a  formidable 


EPISCOPAL  CHURCH.  219 

train  of  obstacles,  in  the  intolerance  of  Puritanism,  and 
the  bitter  persecuting  spirit  flowing  from  it.  Yet,  even  in 
New-England,  the  least  propitious  of  all  climates  for  the 
growth  of  Episcopacy,  there  were  founded  churches  enough 
to  give  hopes  of  a  kindlier  harvest  in  the  time  to  come. 
Possibly  too,  it  might  have  occurred  to  some  of  the  pilgrim 
worthies,  that  having  fled  from  England  "for  conscience' 
sake,"  there  were  means  of  refunding  the  chastisements 
of  their  ancient  mother,  far  less  exceptionable  than  the  lex 
talionis — an  eye  for  an  eye,  a  tooth  for  a  tooth.  Mean- 
while,  in  New-York,  Pennsylvania,  and  other  provinces, 
the  Church  was  blessed  with  a  more  tolerant  reception,  and 
gradually  won  its  way  to  some  distinction,  though  surround- 
ed by  influences  not  the  most  favorable.  Maryland  and  Vir. 
ginia  gave  a  direct  protection  to  the  Church,  and  it  there 
assumed  the  dignity  and  enjoyed  the  provision  of  a  legal 
establishment.  Elsewhere  the  number  of  the  Clergy  was 
small,  and  their  maintenance  precarious,  till  the  organization 
in  the  early  part  of  the  18th  century,  of  the  Society  for  the 
Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts.  From  the 
funds  of  this  noble  Institution,  the  Clergy  north  and  east  of 
Maryland  drew  their  supplies,  with  the  exception  of  those 
located  in  some  of  the  more  considerable  towns.  And  yet, 
down  to  the  beginning  of  the  revolutionary  war,  there  were 
only  about  80  clergymen  in  all  the  northern  and  middle 
colonies.  In  the  south,  however,  their  number  was  greater, 
and  their  principles  met  with  less  opposition. 

The  most  serious  difficulty  affecting  the  Church,  was  the 
entire  absence  of  Episcopal  oversight.  To  the  Bishop  of 
London,  indeed,  was  committed  the  care  of  the  American 
Churches  ;  but  "  it  is  evident  that  his  authority  could  not  be 
effectually  exerted,  at  such  a  distance,  for  the  removing  of 
unworthy  clergymen ; "  as  to  confirmations,  they  were  im- 
possible ;  and  in  cases  of  admission  to  the  ministry,  the 
candidates  were  under  the  necessity  of  visiting  England  to 


220  iSPISCOPAL   CHtJRCH. 

receive  their  ordination.  Objections  too,  of  a  political  or 
civil  nature,  were  advanced  in  some  provinces,  and  when  at- 
tempts were  made  for  the  obtaining  of  a  Bishop,  fears  were 
openly  expressed,  respecting  the  extent  of  the  powers  with 
which  such  a  dignitary  might  come  invested,  and  whether 
they  might  not  come  in  collision  with  "the  principles  on 
which  the  settlement  of  the  Colonies  had  taken  place." 

During  the  revolutionary  war,  these  obstacles  to  the 
growth  of  the  Church  were  increased  tenfold.  Many  of  the 
Clergy  fled  to  the  mother  country,  and  others  could  not  be 
obtained  to  fill  their  places,  and  those  who  remained  were 
scrupulous  concerning  the  use  or  omission  of  such  por- 
tions of  the  service  as  contained  allusions  to  the  civil  powers. 
The  consequence  was,  that  the  services  of  the  Church  were 
very  generally  suspended,  and  the  stipends  from  the  Society 
above  mentioned,  were  finally  withdrawn  from  the  Clergy 
who  remained. 

On  the  termination  of  the  war,  and  the  acknowledgment 
by  Great  Britain  of  the  Independence  of  America,  some 
relief  was  experienced  by  the  passing  of  an  act  of  Parlia- 
ment, allowing  the  then  Bishop  of  London  to  ordain,  without 
requiring  promises  of  allegiance  to  the  British  Crown,  several 
gentlemen  who  had  gone  to  England /or  that  purpose.  Still 
this  was  but  a  partial  relief;  and  the  need  of  an  Episcopate 
was  now  more  painfully  felt  than  before  the  war.  The 
Church  was  destitute  of  unity,  government,  provision  for  its 
Clergy,  and  incapable  of  acting  to  any  advantage,  or  of 
preserving  uniformity  in  the  public  services. 

To  remove  these  evils,  the  first  step  was  taken  in  May, 
1784,  at  a  meeting  of  a  few  Clergy  of  New- York,  New- 
Jersey,  and  Pennsylvania,  at  New-Brunswick,  N.  J.  Though 
this  meeting  was  called  on  other  business,  yet  the  project  of 
a  general  union  of  the  Churches  throughout  the  States  became. 
a  topic  of  sufficient  interest  to  lead  to  the  calling  of  another 
meeting,  to  be  held  in  October  following,  in  the  city  of  New- 


EPISCOPAL    CHURCH.  221 

York.  At  this  latter  meeting  "although  the  members  com- 
posing it  were  not  vested  with  powers  adequate  to  the  pre- 
sent exigencies  of  the  Church ;  they  happily  and  with  great 
unanimity  laid  down  a  few  general  principles,  to  be  recom- 
mended in  the  respective  States,  as  the  ground  on  which  a 
future  ecclesiastical  government  should  be  established."*  It 
was  also  recommended  that  the  several  States  should  send 
clerical  and  lay-deputies  to  a  further  meeting  in  Philadelphia, 
on  September  27th  of  the  following  year.  In  the  interim, 
the  Churches  of  Connecticut  having  made  choice  of  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Seabury  for  a  Bishop,  he  had  proceeded  to  England,  with 
a  view  to  consecration,  In  this  application  he  was  not  suc- 
cessful, the  English  Bishops  having  scruples,  partly  of  a  po- 
litical nature  and  partly  relative  to  the  reception  which  a 
Bishop  might  meet,  under  the  then  imperfect  organization  of 
the  Church.  Resort  was  therefore  had  to  the  Church  in 
Scotland,  where  Dr.  Seabury  received  consecration  in  No- 
vember, 1784. 

According  to  appointment,  the  1st  General  Convention 
assembled  in  1785,  in  Philadelphia,  with  delegates  from  seven 
of  the  thirteen  States.  At  this  Convention  measures  were 
taken  for  a  revisal  of  the  Prayer  Book,  to  adapt  it  to  the  po- 
litical changes  which  had  recently  taken  place  ; — articles  of 
union  were  adopted ; — an  ecclesiastical  constitution  was 
framed  ;  and  the  first  steps  taken  for  the  obtaining  of  an 
Episcopate  direct  from  the  Church  of  England. 

In  June,  1786,  the  Convention  again  met  in  Philadelphia, 
a  correspondence  having  meanwhile  been  carried  on  with  the 
Archbishops  and  Bishops  of  the  English  Church.  Consider- 
able dissatisfaction  was  expressed  on  their  part  relative  to 
some  changes  in  the  Liturgy,  and  to  one  point  of  importance 
in  the  constitution.     The  latter  of  these  was  satisfied  by  the 


Bishop  White's  Memoirs  of  the  Church. 
19*  ^ 


222  EPISCOPAL    CHURCH. 

action  of  the  present  session,  and  the  former  removed  by  re- 
consideration in  a  Special  Convention  summoned  in  October 
of  the  same  year.  It  now  appearing  that  Dr.  Provoost  had 
been  elected  to  the  Episcopate  of  New- York,  Dr.  White  to 
that  of  Pennsylvania,  and  Dr.  Griffith  for  Virginia,  testimo- 
nials in  their  favor  were  signed  by  the  Convention.  The  two 
former  sailed  for  England  in  November,  1786,  and  were  con- 
secrated at  Lambeth,  on  the  4th  of  February  in  the  follow- 
ing year, — by  the  Most  Rev.  John  Moore,  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury.  Before  the  end  of  the  same  month,  they  sailed 
for  New- York,  where  they  arrived  on  Easter  Sunday, 
April  7th. 

In  July,  1789,  the  General  Convention  again  assembled. 
The  Episcopacy  of  Bishops  White  and  Provoost  was  recog- 
nized;— the  resignation  of  Dr.  Griffith  as  Bishop  elect  of 
Virginia,  was  received;  and  in  this  and  an  adjourned  meeting 
of  the  body,  in  the  same  year,  the  Constitution  of  1786  was 
remodelled  ; — union  was  happily  effected  with  Bishop  Sea- 
bury  and  the  Northern  Clergy ; — the  revision  of  the  Prayer- 
Book  was  completed  ;  and  the  Church  already  gave  promise 
of  great  future  prosperity. 

In  September,  1790,  Dr.  Madison  was  consecrated  Bishop 
of  Virginia,  at  Lambeth,  in  England,  by  the  same  Arch- 
bishop who,  a  few  years  before,  had  imparted  the  Apostolic 
commission  to  Drs.  White  and  Provoost.  There  being  now 
three  Bishops  of  the  English  succession,  besides  one  of  the 
Scotch,  every  thing  requisite  for  the  continuation  and  exten- 
sion of  the  Episcopacy  was  complete.  Accordingly,  the  line 
of  Am.erican  consecrations  opened  in  1792,  with  that  of  Dr. 
Claggett,  Bishop  elect  of  Maryland.  In  1795,  Dr.  Smith 
was  consecrated  for  South  Carolina;  in  1797,  the  Rev.  Ed- 
ward Bass,  for  Massachusetts;  and  in  the  same  year,  Dr. 
Jarvis  for  Connecticut,  that  diocese  having  become  vacant 
by  the  death  of  Bishop  Seabury.     From  that  time,  the  con- 


EPISCOPAL    CHURCH.  223 

secration  of  Bishops  has  proceeded,  according  to  the  wants  of 
the  Church,  without  impediment,  to  the  present  day. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  the  Church  had 
become  permanently  settled  in  its  organization,  and  its  sta- 
bility and  peace  were  placed  on  a  secure  footing.  In  1811, 
there  were  already  eight  Bishops,  and  about  two  hundred 
and  thirty  other  Clergymen,  distributed  through  thirteen 
States.  A  spirit  of  holy  enterprise  began  to  manifest  itself 
in  measures  for  the  building  up  of  the  Church  west  of  the 
Alleghany  Mountains,  and  in  other  portions  of  the  countrj* 
where  heretofore  it  had  maintained  but  a  feeble  existence. 
The  ministry  numbered  in  its  ranks,  men  of  the  first  intel- 
lectual endowments,  and  of  admirable  self  devotion  to  the 
cause  of  the  gospel.  With  a  steady  progress,  unawed  by 
the  assaults  of  sectarianism,  and  the  reproaches  of  the  fanatic, 
the  Church  gradually  established  itself  in  the  affections  of  all 
who  came  with  a  spirit  of  candor  to  the  examination  of  her 
claims.  The  blessing  of  her  great  Head  was  apparent,  not 
only  in  the  peace  which  adorned  her  councils,  but  in  the  de- 
mands which  were  continually  made  for  a  wider  extension 
of  her  influence.  Hence  the  establishment  of  her  General 
Theological  Seminary,  and  afterwards  of  the  Domestic  and 
Foreign  Missionary  Society — both  of  which  institutions  were 
instrumental  in  providing  heralds  of  the  gospel,  for  the  distant 
places  of  the  west.  These  were  followed  by  the  Diocesan 
Seminaries  of  Virginia,  Ohio,  and  Kentucky,  and  efforts  for 
the  founding  of  several  in  other  Dioceses. 

At  the  General  Convention  of  1835,  the  whole  Church 
assumed  the  position  of  one  grand  missionary  organization, 
and  has  already  her  bands  of  missionaries  laboring  in  the 
cause  of  the  Church,  in  the  remotest  districts  of  the  country ; 
and  her  banner  has  been  lifted  up  in  Africa,  China,  Greece, 
and  other  foreign  parts.  With  her  eighteen  Bishops,  and 
more  than  twenty  Dioceses ;  with  her  numerous  societies 
for  the  spread  of  the  Bible  and  the  Liturgy ;  and  with  her 


224  EPi 

institutions  of  learning,  and  presses  constantly  pouring  out 
the  light  of  truth,  may  we  not  predict,  under  the  Divine  pro- 
tection, a  day  of  coming  prosperity,  when  Zion  shall  be  a 
praise  in  all  the  earth  ; — when  her  temples  and  her  altars 
shall  be  seen  on  the  far  off  shores  of  the  Pacific; — when  even 
"  the  wilderness  and  the  solitary  place  shall  be  glad  for 
them  ;  and  the  desert  shall  rejoice,  and  blossom  as  the  rose," 

Episcopal  habit.  The  robes  and  other  ecclesiastical 
garments,  worn  only  by  a  Bishop,  as  distinguished  from  the 
surplice  and  gown,  which  are  also  used  by  Priests  and 
Deacons. 

Episcopalian.  One  v/ho  is  attached  to  the  doctrines, 
order,  and  usages  of  an  Episcopal  Church.  See  Church- 
man. 

Episcopate.     The  office,  order,  and  dignity  of  a  Bishop. 

Epistle.  The  name  designating  that  portion  of  one  of  the 
Apostolical  .Epistles,  which  is  read  in  the  Communion  office, 
immediately  before  the  Gospel. 

In  the  celebration  of  the  Holy  Eucharist,  it  was  customary 
in  both  the  Greek  and  Latin  Church,  to  introduce  some  por- 
tions of  the  New  Testament,  in  the  form  of  Lessons.  These 
were  selected  from  the  Epistles  and  Gospels,  and  frequently 
formed  the  subjects  of  exposition  in  the  sermons  and  homilies 
delivered  at  the  time.  "  During  the  early  ages,"  says  Pal. 
mer,  "  the  lesson  which  is  now  ordinarily  designated  as  the 
Epistle,  was  more  generally  known  by  the  appellation  of 
"the  Apostle."  We  find  it  generally  called  by  this  name  in 
the  ancient  liturgies,  and  the  writings  of  the  Fathers.  Thus 
Augustine  often  speaks  of  it ;  and  in  the  sacramentary  of 
Gregory  the  Great,  it  is  said, — "  the  Apostle  follows,"  (Se- 
quitur  Apostolus.)  meaning  the  Epistle  or  Apostolical  writ- 
ing  is  then  read.  In  the  patriarchate  of  Constantinople, 
where  ancient  customs  have  been  preserved  more  perfectly 
than  any  where  else,  the  Epistle  is  called  "  the  Apostle  "  to 
this  day.     In  the  west,  this  lesson  has  however,  long  been 


EST  225 

kno^n  by  the  name  of  "  the  Epistle,"  being  most  commonly- 
taken  from  the  Epistles  of  St.  Paul."  * 

The  appointment  and  selection  of  these  Epistles  are  of  no 
very  modern  date.  In  the  most  ancient  formularies  of  the 
Church  of  England,  we  find  them  as  they  now  stand  ;  and 
having  been  introduced  into  that  Church  by  Augustine, 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  mey  have  been  regularly  used  for 
a  period  of  more  than  1200  years. 

Epistler.  In  the  ancient  Church,  and  the  Church  of 
England,  one  of  the  Clergy  appointed  to  read  the  Epistle. 
The  24th  Canon  of  the  Church  of  England  ordains,  that  "  in 
all  Cathedral  and  Collegiate  Churches,  the  Holy  Communion 
shall  be  administered  upon  principal  feast-days, — sometimes 
by  the  Bishop,  if  he  be  present,  and  sometimes  by  the  Dean, 
and  at  sometimes  by  a  Canon  or  Prebendary, — the  principal 
minister  using  a  decent  Cope,  and  being  assisted  with  the 
Gospeller  and  Epistler  agreeably,"  &;c. 

EsDRAS.  In  the  catalogue  of  books  of  Scripture,  in  the 
6th  Article  of  Religion,  we  read,  among  others,  of  the  "  First 
and  Second  books  of  Esdras.^^  By  these  are  meant  those 
which  are  now  called  Ezra  and  Nehemiah.  Ezra  was  the 
compiler  of  both,  and  on  this  account  they  were,  probably, 
called  by  his  name, — Esdras,  being  the  same  with  Ezra. 

"  Estate,"  or  "  Estates."  In  the  Prayer-book  this  word 
is  chiefly  used  in  a  sense  now  almost  obsolete,  except  in 
solemn  discourse  and  devotional  books.  In  the  Exhortation 
in  the  Visitation  of  the  Sick,  we  read,  "  I  require  you  to 
examine  yourself  and  your  estate,  both  toward  God  and 
man," — that  is,  that  the  sick  person  should  examine  into  his 
spiritual  standing  or  condition,  both  as  it  respects  God  and 
man,  that  he  may  seek  forgiveness  where  he  has  offended, 
and  make  restitution  if  he  has  injured  or  defrauded  his 
neighbor. 


*  Origines  Liturglcaej  I.  p.  42. 


226  EVA 

In  the  Ordering  of  Deacons,  it  is  declared  to  be  their  duty 
"to  search  for  the  sick,  poor,  and  impotent  people  of  the 
Parish,  to  intimate  their  estates,  names,  and  places  where  they 
dwell,  unto  the  Curate,"  &c.  Here  it  seems  to  refer  to  their 
temporal  condition  merely,  which,  if  necessary,  is  to  be 
"relieved  with  the  alms  of  the  parishioners  and  others." 

Again.  In  the  second  Collect  for  Good  Friday,  we  pray 
"  for  all  estates  of  men,"  in  the  Church,  that  is,  for  all  classes 
of  Christians,  whatever  may  be  their  temporal  condition,  or 
their  rank  in  the  Church,  all  being  equally  in  need  of  strength 
from  God,  that,  "  in  their  vocation  and  ministry,  they  may 
truly  and  godly  serve  him."  See  also  the  Order  for 
Matrimony. 

Eucharist.  The  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  or 
Holy  Communion.     See  Communion,  Holy. 

Eulogies.  "The  Eucharistical  bread  and  wine,  which 
the  ancient  Christians  used  to  send  from  one  Church  and  Dio- 
cese  to  another,  in  token  of  friendship  and  communion."  * 
The  following  ancient  Canons  have  relation  to  this  custom. 
"  That  the  holy  (Mysteries)  be  not  carried  into  other  parishes 
on  the  feast  of  Easter,  by  way  of  Eulogies. ^^  -\  "That  the 
Eulogies  of  heretics  ought  not  to  be  received  ;  for  they  are 
rather  Alogies,  that  is,  nonsensical  things,  than  Eulogies,  that 
is,  blessings.":]: 

Evangelical.  The  plain  sense  of  this  word  is  simply, 
according  to  the  Gospel,  or  "  Evangel,"  §  (sudyyJXjov,)  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  This  is  the  sense  in  which  the  term  is 
recognized  by  the  Church,  as  characteristic  of  her  doctrines, 
liturgy,  sacraments,  ministry,  &c.  For  as  these  preserve 
an  exact  correspondence  with  the  pattern  prescribed  in  the 
gospel,  we  only  express  this  in  other  words,  when  we  call 


*  Johnson,  on  the  Canonical  Codes.         t  Canon  XIV.  of  Laodicea. 
t  Canon  XXX II.  of  Laodicea.  §  Now  obsolete. 


EVA  227 

them  evangelical.  As  therefore  the  Church  is  evangelical 
throughout,  all  who  carry  out  her  teachings  must  come  under 
the  same  designation  ;  and  any  narrower  application  of  the 
term  must  evidently  be  invidious.  A  Clergyman  will  be 
evangelical,  just  so  far  as  he  faithfully  and  honestly  abides 
by  the  doctrines,  order,  worship,  &c.,  of  the  Church,  and  the 
more  strict,  the  more  evangelical.  Conversely,  in  proportion 
as  he  departs  from  her  standards,  or  forces  upon  them  novel 
interpretations,  he  sacrificos  in  the  same  degree,  his  legitimate 
claim  to  the  distinction. 

Evangelist.  In  the  present  day,  an  appellation  proper 
for  any  lawful  minister  who  is  sent  forth  to  preach  the  Gos- 
pel of  Christ, — whether  he  be  a  Bishop,  Priest,  or  Deacon. 
Timothy  was  an  Evangelist,  and  also  BisJiop  of  Ephesus. 
Philip,  who  was  a  Deacon,  is  also  called  an  Evangelist,  In 
view  of  the  various  opinions  which  have  been  held  relative 
to  the  true  office  of  the  New  Testament  Evangelists,  the  fol- 
lowing admirable  observations  of  a  Church  of  England  divine, 
are  well  worth  reflection  : — 

"St.  John  and  St.  Matthew  were  Apostles  and  Evangel- 
ists : — St.  Mark  a  Bishop  and  Evangelist  : — St.  Luke  an 
Evangelist  ;  and  yet,  as  is  commonly  believed,  one  of  the 
seventy : — Philip  was  certainly  both  a  Deacon  and  Evan- 
gelist. We  know  why  four  of  these  are  called  Evangelists, 
viz  : — because  they  were  so  v/ell  skilled  in  the  history  of  our 
Savior's  life  and  death,  as  to  give  it  us  in  writing.  By  parity 
of  reason,  all  others  called  Evangelists,  were  such  as  made  it 
their  study  and  business  to  make  themselves  acquainted  with 
our  Savior's  actions,  and  sermons,  and  sufferings,  and  to  re- 
late such  passages  of  them  in  the  public  congregation  as  the 
present  occasion  required.  And  this  was  as  useful  and  edify. 
ing  an  office  as  any  in  the  Church  of  God,  and  it  was  ex- 
tremely necessary  for  some  years  after  our  Savior's  ascen- 
sion ;  for  it  was  a  good  while  before  the  Gospels  were  WTitten, 
and  much  longer  still  before  they  were  dispersed  and  uni- 


228  EVE 

versally  received.  During  all  this  time,  the  Evangelist  who 
could  confirm  any  great  truth,  add  weight  to  any  advice  or 
reprehension,  by  rehearsing  any  discourse,  or  relating  any 
momentous  passage  of  our  Savior's  life  and  death,  must  have 
frequent  and  great  occasion  to  exercise  his  abilities.  But 
when  the  four  Gospels  were  committed  to  writing,  and  were 
in  every  man's  hand,  this  office  of  course  ceased;  nor  is 
there  any  mention  of  such  officers  in  the  history  of  the  Church 
of  the  ages  next  to  the  Apostles.  It  is  rtot  necessary  to  sup- 
pose that  any  miraculous  gifts  were  required  to  qualify  a  man 
for  this  office ;  the  Holy  Ghost  assisted  him  only  in  calling 
to  rememhrance  what  he  had  seen  and  heard  by  conversing 
with  our  Savior  himself,  or  learned  from  those  who  were 
themselves  eye-witnesses."  * 

EvANGELisTARiuM,  or  EvANGELiARiuM.  A  book  Contain- 
ing those  portions  of  the  Gospels  appointed  to  be  read  in  the 
Communion  service. 

Eve,  or  Even.  The  night  or  evening  before  certain 
holy-days  of  the  Church.  In  former  times  it  was  customary 
to  have  religious  services  on  these  Eves,  and  sometimes  to 
spend  a  great  part  of  the  night  in  prayer  and  other  devotions, 
to  qualify  the  soul  for  the  better  observance  of  the  Festival 
itself  on  the  morrow.  These  nights,  thus  spent,  were  called 
Vigils  or  Watchings,  and  are  still  professedly  observed  in 
the  Church  of  England,  &c. 

In  the  American  Church  no  special  services  have  been  ap- 
pointed for  them,  with  the  single  exception  of  Easter  Even, 
for  which  a  Collect,  Epistle,  and  Gospel,  together  with  appro- 
priate Lessons,  are  provided.     See  Easter  even. 

Evening.  In  the  present  usage  of  the  Church,  there 
seems  to  be  some  little  deviation  occasionally  from  the  ori- 
ginal intention  of  the  framers  of  our  Liturgy,  by  turning  our 


Johnson  on  the  Canonical  Codes. 


EVE  229 

Evening  into  an  Afternoon  service.  That  the  Evening 
Prayer  was  designed  to  be  used  at  ike  close  of  the  day,  or 
late  in  the  afternoon,  is  evident  from  the  language  of  the 
Collect,^as  it  stands  in  the  English  Prayer-book  : — "  Lighten 
our  darkness,  we  beseech  thee,  O  Lord,  and  by  thy  great 
mercy  defend  us  from  all  perils  and  dangers  of  this  night," 
&c.  Here,  in  the  opening  words,  is  a  beautiful  allusion  to 
the  decline  of  day,  and  the  approach  of  the  "  evening  shades." 
The  direct  reference,  also,  to  the  night,  which  has  b?en  pre- 
served in  the  American  Prayer-book,  indicates  the  same 
position  of  the  Evening  service. 

EvEN-soNG.  The  form  for  Evening  prayer,  anciently  so 
called. 

Evergreens. 

"  Christmas,  the  joyous  period  of  the  year  ! 
Now  bright  wiih  lu)Ily,  all  the  temi  les  strew^n 
With  laurel  green,  and  vcrda-.t  mistletoe." 

The  practice  of  adorning  Churches  and  dwellings  with 
evergreens  at  the  season  of  Christmas,  may  be  traced  back 
to  a  very  remote  age,  when  the  minds  of  Christians  were  in- 
fluenced by  something  deeper  and  purer  than  mere  supersti- 
tion and  fancy.  The  Advent  of  our  Lord  was  annually  cele- 
brated with  universal  joy,  and  demonstrations  of  gratitude, 
rising  almost  to  enthusiasm.  It  was  a  time  of  triumph; — 
the  feast,  the  an'hem,  the  suspension  of  the  ordinary  avoca- 
tions of  life,  and  of  the  public  games; — the  crowded  tem- 
ples;— the  eucharist,  and  the  decoration  of  the  Churches 
with  boughs  and  garlands  of  evergreen, — all  proclaimed  it  ^ 
religious  jubilee,  worthy  to  be  styled  by  St.  Chrysostom,  "the 
metropolis  and  mother  of  all  festivals." 

From  this,  the  reader  will  learn  the  primary  design  of  a 
custom  now  grown  venerable  in  the  Church  It  is  expressive 
of  the  glory  and  triumph  which  marked  the  incarnation  of 
the  Son  of  God — a  triumph  in  which  the  Church  partakes, 

20 


;230  EVE 

realizing-  the  langfuage  of  prophecy,  "  The  glory  of  Lebanon 
shall  come  unto  thee,  the  fir-tree,  the  pine-tree,  and  the  box 
together,  to  beautify  the  place  of  my  sanctuary  ;  and  I  will 
make  the  place  of  my  feet  glorious."*  But  beyond  this, 
these  decorations  "intimate  to  tlie  eye  of  faith,  that  everlast. 
ing  freshness,  verdure,  beauty,  and  peace,  which  we  hope  to 
enjoy  in  the  Church  triumphant,  through  tlie  merits  of  the 
divine  Savior,  *  who  came  as  at  this  time '  to  purchase  our 
emancipation  from  the  thraldom  of  sin  and  wo,"f 

Who  could  have  imagined  that  a  custom  so  innocent  and 
so  highly  emblematical  of  those  imperishable  gifts  bought  for 
us  by  the  Lord  of  Life,  should  have  the  ill  fortune  to  meet 
wi«:h  obloquy,  in  an  age  of  light  and  discernment?  We  ask 
the  objector,  whether  emblems  are  sinful  1 — whether  they  are 
not  sanctioned  by  revelation  ? — whether  they  are  not  vindi- 
cated by  the  practice  of  "  holy  men  of  old  "  ? — whether  they 
may  not  sometimes  be  stimulants  to  a  sluggish  devotion; 
and  whether,  in  the  present  case,  they  are  not  replete  with 
meaning,  and  with  associations  dear  to  a  Christian  heart? 
We  see  no  essential  difference  beween  an  emblem  gathered 
from  the  forest,  and  an  emblem  in  paper  and  print,  or  one 
which  may  drop  from  the  lips  of  a  fervid  speaker.  To  enter 
then,  into  the  "  philosophy  "  of  the  matter,  is  either  to  anni- 
hilate the  objection,  or  to  sweep  from  the  sacred  Scriptures 
themselves  a  thousand  tropes  and  figures,  if  not  to  apply  the 
same  hypercriticism  to  the  parables  of  One  "  who  spake  as 
never  man  spake." 

"  Every  petition."  In  a  rubric  near  the  end  of  the  Com- 
munion Office,  it  is  ordered  that  "  the  Minister  shall  say  the 
Lord's  Prayer,  the  people  repeating  after  him  every  petiiion,^^ 
In  this  there  appears  to  be  an  indirect  precaution  against  the 
practice  of  the  Romish  Church,  where  the  greater  part  of  the 


Isaiah,  Ix.  13.  t  Rev.  Dr.  Rudd. 


Exc  231 

Lord's  Prayer  being  recited  by  the  Priest  alone,  the  people 
join  in  the  concluding  words,  as  a  signal  for  which,  the  Priest 
elevates  his  voice. 

The  propriety  and  beauty  of  all  joining  in  this  prayer,  and 
in  every  petition  of  it,  now  that  they  have  sealed  their  vows  of 
love  to  the  Redeemer,  and  of  brotherly  affection  to  each 
other,  is  too  evident  to  need  remark. 

Excommunicate,  a.  In  the  state  of  excommunication. 
This  word  occurs  in  the  Order  for  the  Burial  of  the  Dead, 
where,  (in  the  first  Rubric)  it  is  said,  "the  office  ensuing  is 
not  to  be  used  for  any  unbaptized  Adults,  [nor]  any  who  die 
excommunicate,''^  &c. — that  is,  any  who,  for  their  great 
crimes,  have,  by  the  lawful  authority  been  rejected  from  a 
place  and  a  name  in  the  Church  of  God. 

The  reason  why  the  Burial  Service  is  not  to  be  read  over 
these,  is  a  very  obvious  one.  That  service  takes  for  granted 
that  all  who  deserve  Christian  burial,  have  died  in  commu- 
nion with  the  Church,  or  at  least,  have  been  numbered  among 
her  children.  But  inasmuch  as  the  unbaptized  have  never 
been  admitted  to  that  Church,  and  the  excommunicated  have 
been  repelled  from  it,  this  service  cannot  and  ought  not  to  be 
used  in  either  case. 

Excommunicate,  v.  To  banish  or  expel  from  the  Church, 
any  member  who  has  been  found  guilty  of  a  heinous  crime. 
See  Excommunication. 

Excommunication.  The  separation  or  rejection  of  an 
unworthy  person  from  the  Communion  of  the  Church.  This 
awful  sentence  is  never  passed  on  an  accused  person,  till,  by 
a  careful,  merciful,  and  impartial  examination,  his  guilt  has 
been  ascertained.  By  excommunication,  a  person  is  cut  off. 
from  the  privilege  of  partaking  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  and  is 
excluded  from  that  affectionate  intercourse  and  communion 
which  should  subsist  among  the  faithful  people  of  God.  It 
would  seem,  therefore,  that  the  Church,  in  such  extreme  and 
severe  cases  of  discipline,  should  cautiously  guard  against  a 


232  EXT 

rash  and  hasty  judgment.  And  accordingly,  the  laws  of  the 
Church  require  the  plainest  evidence  of  guilt,  and  give  to 
the  accused,  both  time  and  means  to  establish  his  innocence 
(if  possible)  before  judgment  is  pronounced.  But  when  the 
offender's  guilt  has  been  proved,  and  sentence  given  against 
him,  then  it  becomes  a  part  of  Christian  duty,  to  regard  him 
no  longer  as  worthy  of  the  privileges,  but  entitled  only  to  the 
prayers,  of  the  Church  he  has  thus  contemned.  In  the  33d 
Article  of  Religion  may  be  seen  the  views  of  the  Church  in 
relation  to  intercourse  with  excommunicated  persons. 

Exhortation.  An  address  made  at  any  time  to  the  peo- 
ple, to  move  or  persuade  them  to  their  duty.  The  term, 
however,  is  chiefly  applied  to  that  affectionate  appeal  which 
stands  at  the  opening  of  the  Morning  and  Evening  Prayer, 
beginning  "  Dearly  beloved  brethren,  the  Scripture  moveth 
us,"  &c.  This,  by  way  of  distinction,  is  called  "  The  Ex- 
hortation."  Other  exhortations  of  an  appropriate  character, 
may  be  found  in  most  of  the  principal  Offices  (or  Services) 
of  the  Church, — as  in  the  Order  for  the  Holy  Communion — 
the  form  of  Baptism — the  Visitation  of  the  Sick,  &c.  &c. 

"Ex  OFFICIO."  By  virtue  of  official  rank.  Thus  in  cer- 
tain assemblies,  &c.,  a  Bishop  is  President,  ex  officio,  or  from 
the  fact  of  his  holding  the  office  of  a  Bishop. 

Expectation  week.     See  Ascension. 

Extemporary,  or  Extempore.  Any  thing  which  is  pub- 
licly  spoken,  without  previous  study,  or  without  being  com. 
mitted  to  writing.  An  extempore  serinon,  (so  called,)  is  one 
which  is  delivered  without  notes,  or  with  the  aid  only  of  a 
brief  analysis.  In  this  application,  the  word  is  used  in  a 
strained  and  improper  sense,  though  justified  by  usage  and 
common  consent.  For,  the  leading  idea  which  it  suggests,  is 
that  of  thoughts  uttered  from  the  impulse  of  the  moment,  ex- 
cluding any  direct  act  of  previous  composition  and  study ; 
whereas  extempore  discourses  are  frequently  the  result  of 
close  and  careful  application,  and  the  term,  in  strictness,  is 


EXT  233 

true  only  of  the  language  employed,  and  the  incidental 
thoughts  which  spring  up  and  are  interwoven  in  the  delivery. 

An  extempore  prayer  is  one  which  is  framed  at  the  time 
when  it  is  offered.  In  Episcopal  Churches  the  prayers  for 
public  service  are  precomposed,  and  are  thus  distinguished 
from  such  as  are  merely  extempore ;  but  in  other  religious 
societies  this  is  not  usually  the  case,  the  prayers  being  gone- 
rally  composed  by  the  officiating  person  at  the  time  when 
uttered.  Like  extempore  sermons,  these  prayers  are  to  be 
considered  as  the  offspring  of  previous  thought  and  medita- 
tion,  though  the  language  and  actual  composition  may  be 
entitled  to  the  name  of  extempore. 

The  comparative  advantages  of  extempore  and  precom- 
posed prayers  we  reserve  for  the  Article,  Liturgy.  See  also 
Canon  XLV.  of  the  General  Convention. 

Extreme  unction.  The  ceremony  of  anointing  the  sick 
with  oil,  as  practised  in  the  Church  of  Rome,  and  said  to  be 
founded  on  those  words  of  St.  James,  "  Is  any  sick  among 
you,  let  him  send  for  the  elders  of  the  Church,"  &c. 

There  is,  however,  no  proof  in  Scripture  that  this  custom 
was  an  Apostolical  Ordinance  designed  to  be  continued  in  the 
Church.  A  clear  proof  to  the  contrary  would  seem  to  arise 
from  the  fact,  that  St.  James  refers  to  the  miraculous  healing 
of  the  sick  by  the  elders  of  the  Church,  many  of  whom,  at 
that  time,  were  endued  with  the  power  of  working  miracles. 
If  extreme  unction  were  accompanied  with  miracles  or  the 
restoration  of  the  sick  person,  the  custom  might  command 
more  consideration.  But  if  we  are  not  mistaken,  it  is  not 
practised  in  the  Romish  Church,  with  a  view  to  the  healing 
of  the  sufferer,  but  rather  as  the  last  of  all  religious  rites,  to 
be  administered  only  when  hope  of  life  is  past,  and  the  frame 
is  fast  sinking  into  the  slumber  of  death. 

Extreme  unction,  or,  (as  we  may  interpret  this  somewhat 
uncouth  name,)  the  anointing  at  the  extremity  of  life,  has 
been  raised  to  the  dignity  of  a  Sacrament,  by  the  Romanists. 
20* 


234  FAS 

There  is  no  proof,  however,  that  it  was  ordained  as  such  by 
the  institution  of  Christ.  Against  this  corruption,  therefore, 
the  25th  Article  is  in  part  directed ;  in  which,  Baptism 
and  the  Lord's  Supper  are  recognized  as  the  only  Sacraments 
of  the  Church,  while  .Extreme  Unction,  among  others,  is  con- 
sidered as  having  taken  the  rank  of  a  Sacrament  through  a 
perversion  of  Scripture,  or  by  "  the  corrupt  following  of  the 
Apostles." 


F. 


"Fain."  Pleased,  delighted,  or  rejoiced.  An  antiquated 
word  occurring  in  Psalm  71,  verse  21,  in  the  Prayer-book 
version  :  "  My  lips  will  be /am  [joyful]  when  I  sing  to  thee," 

"Faithful  men."  In  the  19th  Article,  the  Church  is 
described  as  "a  congregation  of  faithful  men,^^  &c.  The 
epithet  "  faithful,"  is  here  used  with  the  same  latitude  which 
is  necessary  in  the  application  to  the  Church  of  the  term 
Jioly ;  not  meaning  that  all  who  belong  to  it  are  holy  and 
faithful,  but  that  the  principles  of  the  Church  require  them 
so  to  be.  And  as  the  design  of  the  Church  is  to  promote 
holiness,  the  definition  should  correspond  with  the  design, 
however  true  it  may  be  that  some  in  her  pale  may  not  live 
up  to  the  solemn  profession  they  have  made.  That  this 
limitation  is  to  be  understood,  may  be  proved  from  the  latter 
part  of  this  same  Article,  which  asserts  that  the  Churches  of 
Jerusalem,  Alexandria,  Antioch,  and  Rome,  though  compre- 
hended under  the  definition  of  "the  CAwrc/t,"  have  "erred, 
not  only  in  their  living  and  manner  of  ceremonies,  but  also 
in  matters  of  faith." 

Fasting.  Abstinence  from  food.  By  the  regulations  of 
the  Church,  fasting,  though  not  defined  as  to  its  degree,  is  in- 


FASTING.  235 

culcated  on  seasons  of  peculiar  penitence  and  humiliation, 
as  a  valuable  auxiliary  to  the  cultivation  of  habits  of  devo- 
tion  and  self-denial.  Respecting  its  usefulness,  there  does 
not  appear  to  have  been  much  diversify  of  opinion  until  late 
years.  Fasting  was  customary  in  the  Church  of  God,  long 
before  the  introduction  of  Christianity,  as  may  be  seen  in  the 
Old  Testament  Scriptures.  That  it  was  sanctioned  by  our 
Savior  and  his  Apostles,  is  equally  plain.  And  that  it  was 
intended  to  continue  in  the  future  Church  can  scarcely  be 
questioned  ;  for  Christ  gave  his  disciples  particular  instruc. 
tions  respecting  it,  and  in  reprobating  the  abuses  of  it  among 
the  Pharisees,  never  objects  to  its  legitimate  use.  He  even 
declares,  that  after  his  ascension  his  disciples  should  fast : 
"  The  days  will  come  when  the  bridegroom  shall  be  taken 
away  from  them,  and  then  shall  they  fast  in  those  days."  * 
Accordingly,  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  occur  several  no- 
tices of  fastings  connected  with  religious  devotions.  St.  Paul 
evidently  practised  it  with  some  degree  of  frequency.f  He 
also  recognises  the  custom,  as  known  in  the  Corinthian 
Church,  and  makes  some  observations  implying  its  con- 
tinuance.J  From  the  days  of  the  Apostles  to  the  present 
time,  fasting  has  been  regarded,  under  various  modifications, 
as  a  valuable  auxiliary  to  penitence.  In  former  times  Chris- 
tians were  exceedingly  strict  in  abstaining  from  every  kind 
of  food,  for  nearly  the  whole  of  the  appointed  fast- days,  re- 
ceiving only  at  staled  times  what  was  actually  necessary  for 
the  support  of  life.  At  the  season  of  Lent,  much  time  was 
spent  in  mortification  and  open  confession  of  sin,  accom- 
panied by  those  outward  acts,  which  tend  to  the  control  of 
the  body  and  its  appetites  ;  a  species  of  godly  discipline  still 
associated  with  the  services  of  that  interesting  period  of  the 
ecclesiastical  year. 

In  the  practice  of  fasting,  the  intelligent  Christian  will  not 

♦  Luke,  V.  35.  t  2  Cor.  xi.  27.  t  1  Cor.  rii.  5. 


236  FAT 

rest  in  the  outward  act,  but  regard  it  only  as  a  means  to  a 
good  end.  All  must  acknowledge  that  this  restraint,  even 
upon  the  innocent  appetites  of  the  body,  is  eminently  bene- 
ficial in  assisting  the  operations  of  the  mind.  It  brings  the 
animal  part  of  our  nature  into  greater  subservience  to  the 
spiritual.  "  It  tends  to  prevent  that  heaviness  and  indolence 
of  the  faculties,  as  well  as  that  perturbation  of  the  passions, 
which  often  proceed  from  the  indulgence  and  repletion  of  the 
body.  It  is  thus  highly  useful  in  promoting  that  calmness  of 
mind,  and  clearness  of  thought,  which  are  so  very  favorable 
to  meditation  and  devotion."  *  The  great  end  of  the  ob- 
servance  is  to  "  afflict  the  soul,"  and  to  increase  a  genuine 
contrition  of  heart,  and  godly  sorrow  for  sin.  This  being 
understood,  abstinence  will  be  approved  of  God,  and  made 
conducive  to  a  growth  in  spiritual  life. 

Fasts.  Those  holy-days  which  are  appointed  by  the 
Church,  as  seasons  of  abstinence  and  peculiar  sorrow  for  sin. 
These  are  Ash  Wednesday,  Good  Friday,  and  the  forty  days 
of  Lent ;  the  Ember  days,  the  three  Rogation  days,  and  all 
the  Fridays  in  the  year,  except  Christmas  day.    See  Fasting. 

"  Father  of  heaven."  In  the  Litany.  "  O  God,  the 
Father  of  heaven,  &c."  (Pater  coelestis.)  Two  different 
readings  and  interpretations  have  been  given  of  this  passage. 

1.  That  which  places  the  comma  after  "  Father,"  giving  this 
invocation  the  same  form  or  figure  with  the  two  succeeding, — 
thus :  "  O  God  the  Father,"  &c.  «  O  God  the  Son,"  &c. 
"  O  God  the  Holy  Ghost,"  &;c.  the  predicates  in  each  case 
thus  bearing  a  similarity  of  relation  to  the  subject  or  title. 

2.  That  which  follows  the  printed  editions,  with  the  comma 
after  "  God."  The  sense  will  then  be  that  of  "  Lord,  or 
Creator,  of  heaven,"  which  unquestionably  breaks  in  upon 
the  gradation  of  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  by  substituting 


♦  Doddridtje. 


FIN  237 

the  general  word  God,  for  the  personal  title  of  Father.  The 
best  authorities  seem  therefore  to  prefer  the  former  interpre- 
tation,  notwithstanding  the  sacrifice  of  euphony,  and  a  de- 
parture from  the  common  punctuation,  these  being  lesser  evils 
than  a  trespass  on  the  doctrinal  drift  of  the  whole  passage. 

Fathers.  An  appellation  given  to  those  Bishops  and 
other  ecclesiastical  writers  who  distinguished  themselves  in 
the  early  ages  of  the  Church.  The  value  of  their  writings, 
in  the  present  day,  arises  from  the  testimony  they  afford  to 
facts  connected  with  the  doctrines,  usages,  &c.,  of  the  Church, 
in  the  period  when  they  flourished,  and  also  for  the  deep  and 
saintly  feeling  of  devotion  with  which  they  are  generally 
pervaded.     See  Apostolic  Fathers. 

Feast.     See  Holy.days. 

Festivals.  Those  holy.days  of  the  Church  on  which 
we  gratefully  commemorate  some  event  in  the  life  of  our 
Lord,  or  the  virtues  and  example  of  the  Apostles  and  Saints. 
These  have  always  been  observed  by  the  Christian  Church, 
as  seasons  of  peculiar  joy ;  and  appropriate  public  services 
have  been  appointed  for  them.     See  Holy-days. 

"Finally."  A  term  occurring  near  the  middle  of  the 
Prayer  for  all  Conditions  of  men, — the  propriety  and  object 
of  which  is  not,  at  first  sight,  very  clear  to  the  young  reader. 
It  appears  that  this  prayer  was  at  first  drawn  up  to  supply 
the  want  of  a  general  supplication  on  those  days  when  the 
Litany  was  not  appointed  to  be  read.  Wheatly  states  that 
originally  it  was  "  much  longer  than  it  is  now,  and  that  the 
throwing  out  a  great  part  of  it,  which  consisted  of  petitions 
for  the  King,  the  Royal  family.  Clergy,  &c.,  who  are  prayed 
for  in  the  other  Collects,  was  the  occasion  why  the  word 
finally  comes  in  so  soon  in  so  short  a  prayer."  This  is 
probably  the  true  explanation  of  the  difficulty  ;  the  word  was 
inadvertently  retained,  or  preferred  to  the  remodelling  of 
.  the  prayer. 


238  FON 

"  Fond."  Foolish,  silly,  imprudent.  See  the  22d  Article. 
"  Purgfatory,  Pardons,  Worshipping,  and  Adoration  *  *  *  * 
and  also.  Invocation  of  Saints,  is  a  fond  thing  vainly  in- 
vented," &;c. 

Font.  A  vessel  usually  placed  in  or  near  the  Chancel  of 
a  Church,  to  contain  water  for  the  administration  of  Baptism. 
In  the  early  Church,  the  fonts  were  of  considerable  size,  the 
smallest  being  large  enough  to  admit  the  entire  immersion  of 
the  person.  Aftr^r  the  practice  of  baptizing  in  rivers,  ponds, 
and  fountains,  had  continued  for  some  time.  Christians  were 
driven,  by  persecution  and  the  fear  of  disturbance,  to  adopt 
places  of  more  privacy  for  the  administration  of  this  rite; 
artificial  fountains  (or  fonts)  were  therefore  erected,  and  soon 
came  into  general  use.  In  after  ages,  these  were  built  in  a 
costly  style,  and  were  consecrated  with  man 3'^  frivolous  cere- 
monies. Between  the  eleventh  and  fifteenth  centuries,  amid 
the  sway  of  Gothic  architecture,  fonts  and  baptisteries  sprang 
up  every  where,  adorned  with  all  the  elegancies  of  that 
singularly  beautiful  style.  The  font  itself  was  a  cistern 
hewn  sometimes  fri^m  the  solid  rock,  embellished  on  all  sides, 
by  the  chisel,  with  rich  bands  of  foliage  and  sculptured 
flowers,  and  such  other  delicate  ornaments  as  the  taste  of  the 
artist  might  suggest.  The  buildings  in  which  the  fonts  were 
placed,  were  of  similar  magnificence.  At  first,  they  were 
built  at  some  distance  from  the  Church,  but  were  afterwards 
allowed  to  stand  in  the  porch  of  the  Church,  intimating  that 
baptism  is  the  entrance  into  the  Church  mystical.  They 
were  next  placed  in  the  Church  itself,  "but  not  in  every  one, 
but  only  the  city  church  where  the  Bishop  resided,  which  was 
called  the  Mother  Church,  because  it  gave  s))iritnal  birth 
by  baptism."  Afterwards  they  were  brought  inside  the 
country  churches  "with  this  limitation,  however,  that  they 
should  occupy  only  the  lower  end  "  It  appears  also  to  have 
been  a  custom  to  place  them  in  a  separate  part  of  the  building 


FOR  239 

in  cathedrals  and  other  spacious  churches,  where  this  could 
conveniently  be  done. 

Some  time  after  these  arrang-ements,  and  towards  the  period 
of  the  Reformation,  the  fonts  began  to  fall  into  disrepute,  and 
in  the  end,  immersion  being  for  the  most  part  abolished,  they 
gradually  diminished  in  size,  and  finally  reached  the  com- 
paratively small  dimensions  in  which  we  now  have  them  in 
our  churches. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  so  decent  and  useful  an  appendage 
to  a  Church,  does  not  every  where  take  its  place,  and  banish 
the  unsightly  and  scarcely  tolerable  basins,  &c.,  which  are 
frequently  substituted  for  it. 

"  For  the  Epistle."  Before  reading  the  Epistle  for  the 
day,   the  rubric  enjoins  that  the  Minister  shall  say,    "  The 

Epistle  is  written  in  the chapter  of ,  beginning  at,"  &c. 

But  on  certain  days,  some  other  portion  of  Scripture  is  ap- 
pointed instead  of  the  Epistle,  in  which  case  the  above  prefix 
is  substituted  by  saying,  "  The  portion  of  Scripture  appoint- 
ed/or the  Epistle,^^  &c.  ;  that  is,  in  the  place  of  it.  See  Ash 
Wednesday,  Monday  and  Tuesday  before  Easter,  Monday 
and  Tuesday  in  Easter  week,  Ascension  day,  Whitsunday,  &c. 

Form.  An  established  order,  by  which  the  offices  of  reli- 
gion are  performed.  Hence  there  are  forms,  or  modes  of 
proceeding,  in  the  public  worship  of  all  denominations  of 
Christians;  forms  of  prayer,  forms  of  praise,  forms  in  the 
administration  of  sacraments,  and  in  the  customary  arrange- 
ments of  the  several  parts  of  divine  service. 

In  the  Episcopal  Church,  the  term  usually  denotes  the 
ritual,  and  the  order  prescribed  for  the  performance  of  the 
sacred  offices  of  the  Church,  as  also,  in  certain  cases,  the 
private  devotions  of  her  members.  The  peculiar  advantages 
of  forms  of  prayer,  we  shall  consider  more  at  length  under 
the  head  of  Liturgy,  and  shall  here  only  add,  that,  con- 
stituted as  man  is,  there  must  and  will  be  forms,  in  far  the 
greater  part  of  his  religious  exercises.     There  is  an  inward 


240  FORM. 

and  an  outward  part,  and  God  demands  the  allegiance  of  both ; 
but  the  outward  part  can  act  only  through  the  medium  of  a 
form.  This  may  be  extempore,  or  otherwise.  Still,  what- 
ever shape  it  assumes,  it  is  a  form.  A  Liturgy  is  nothing 
more  than  a  fixed  or  ready  made  ibrm,  by  which  the  embar- 
rassments and  evils  of  forms  springing  from  the  impulse  of 
the  moment,  are  efTectually  prevented.  If  this  were  duly 
considered,  objections  would  cease,  because,  if  carried  out, 
they  must  lie  against  all  outward  modes  of  devotion.  To  say 
that  external  forms  do  not  act  favorably  in  the  preservation 
of  a  high  spiritual  tone  within,  but  that  the  luxuriance  of  the 
one  is  a  sure  prognostic  of  the  decay  of  the  other,  is  mere 
verbiage.  The  objector  docs  not,  in  fact,  proceed  on  the 
ground  of  his  own  objection.  Else  why  does  his  Christianity 
exhibit  any  outward  apparatus  at  all  ?  He  may  differ  from 
us  very  much  in  the  amount  of  form,  but  certainly  very  little 
in  the  principle.  "Religion,  not  forms,"  says  the  mystic. 
"Let  us  kneel  and  adore^^  replies  the  Churchman.  In  truth, 
one  half  of  religion  will  inevitably  be  of  the  nature  of  form. 
We  do  not  say  mere  form — M*!  ^s'vojro  ! — but  form,  as  the 
manifestation  of  living  principle.  Faith  has  its  form,  or  its 
exterior,  or  its  ceremonial,  in  good  works  ;  love,  in  its  sweet 
ministrations  ;  charity,  in  its  open  hand  ;  hope,  in  its  radiant 
eye  ;  sympathy,  in  the  throbbing  heart ;  contrition,  in  the 
tear  ;  repentance,  in  the  sackcloth  :  grief,  in  the  sob  ;  and  just 
so,  the  direct  act  of  worship  must  have  its  form.  The  spoken 
prayer  is  a  form.  The  triumphant  anthem  is  a  form, 
whether  from  the  lip  of  the  objector,  or  the  tongue  of  the 
Churchman.  And  the  fervor  of  the  soul, — the  ardor  of  the 
spirit's  devotion, — is  mightily  enhanced  by  the  very  form  of 
adoration.  If  then  our  ritual  offers  to  the  soul  more  fre- 
quent and  more  efficacious  aids  in  its  ascent  to  the  realms  of 
life,  and  if  we  are  zealous  that  God  should  shine  in  all  that 
he  has  made,  (be  it  spiritual  or  material,)  let  us  not  be 
blamed.     While  body  and  soul  are  in  union,  religious  wor- 


TOR  241 

ship  mil  demand  a  form ;  and  we  doubt  not,  that  in  the 
heavenly  state  it  will  be  the  happiness  of  the  redeemed  to 
join  in  the  angelic  liturgy, — "Holy,  holy,  holy.  Lord  God 
Almighty,  which  was,  and  is,  and  is  to  come."*  See  Cere- 
mony, and  Formality. 

Formality.  Strictly,  formality  is  a  conformity  to  estab- 
lished rites,  modes  of  worship,  customs,  &c.  ;  but  in  the  popu- 
lar sense,  it  denotes  a  punctilious  regard  to  outward  cere- 
monies and  ordinances,  disconnected  from  the  inward  and 
spiritual  life  of  religion.  In  this  sense  it  manifestly  involves 
a  moral  delinquency,  more  or  less  hostile  to  the  existence  of 
true  piety. 

The  fear  has  sometimes  been  expressed,  that  the  use  of 
prescribed  forms  in  public  or  private  devotions,  must  have  a 
strong  tendency  to  produce  formality  in  its  worst  sense  ; 
and  consequently,  that  the  advantage  lies  altogether  on  the 
side  of  the  extempore  method.  Now  if  this  were  so,  the 
evil  must  extend  to  the  reading  of  the  Bible,  for  the  Bible  is 
undoubtedly  deform;  therefore,  this  should  be  superseded  by 
private  contemplation.  And  for  the  same  reason,  hymns  and 
spiritual  songs  should  give  way  to  the  casual  effusions  of 
fancy.  A  form  of  prayer,  is  no  more  dangerous  than  a  form 
of  doctrine,  or  a  form  of  praise.  Yet  the  objectors  retain 
these,  apprehending  no  ill  consequences,  and  singularly 
unconscious  of  the  broad  scope  of  their  own  argument. 
Properly  speaking,  the  evil  is  not  in  formality,  but  in  mere 
formality — in  the  mechanical  engagement  of  the  outward 
sense,  without  the  accompanying  devotion  of  the  spirit. 
There  may  be  as  deadly  a  formality  under  extempore  efforts 
at  prayer,  as  iii  alliance  with  the  supplications  of  a  liturgy. 
Paper  and  print  are  not  the  worst  foes  to  spiritual  advance- 
ment ;  and  it  is  the  duty  of  the  worshipper  to  be  watchful 


*  Rev.  iv.  8. 
21 


342  GAZ 

against  the  treachery  of  an  evil  heart,  in  all  times  and  places  ; 
knowing  that  formality  may  steal  away  his  devotion  as  readily 
when  his  lips  express  the  fugitive  thoughts  of  the  moment,  as 
when  they  utter  the  fervid  language  of  martyrs  and  saints. 

Form  for  Thanksgiving.     See  Thanksgiving  day. 

Formulary.  A  book,  (the  Prayer-book,  for  example,) 
containing  the  rites,  ceremonies,  and  prescribed  forms  of  the 
Church. 

"  Fraud."  Deceit,  artifice,  cunning ;  as  in  the  expression, 
"  fraud  and  malice  of  the  devil,"  *  which  is  elsewhere  spoken 
of  as  "  the  wiles  of  Satan,"  f  and  the  "  crafts  and  assaults  of 
the  devil,"  ij:  or  the  "  craft  and  subtilty  of  the  devil ;  "  f  in 
allusion  to  those  artful  temptations  of  the  adversary,  by  which 
the  careless  and  irresolute  are  taken  captive.  "  O  ye  worldly 
and  fleshly  caitiffs,"  says  Wiclif,  "  ye  are  led  away  from  the 
joy  of  God,  and  deceived  with  the  devil'sy?-aMfZ."§ 

Funeral  rites.     See  Burial  service. 


G. 

"  Gazed  upon."  See  the  25th  Article,  where  we  are  in- 
structed that,  "  The  Sacraments  were  not  ordained  of  Christ 
to  be  gazed  upon,  or  to  be  carried  about,  but  that  we  should 
duly  use  them."  The  latter  clause  of  the  28th  Article  is  to 
the  same  effect.  In  both,  the  declaration  is  pointed  at  the 
custom  existing  in  the  Romish  Church,  of  elevating  the  host 
or  sacramental  bread,  in  the  sight  of  the  people,  who  there- 
upon were  taught  to  adore  it  as  the  true  body  of  Christ.  See 
"Carried  about,"  and  Elevation  of  the  Host. 


♦  Collects  in  Visit.  Pris.     t  Commendatory  Prayer  in  Visitation  of  Sick. 
*  Litany.  §  Wiclifs  "  Poor  CaitifT."' 


GLO  243 

General  Convention.     See  Convention. 

General  Council.     See  Council. 

Genuflection.  The  act  of  bending  the  knee,  or  kneel- 
ing in  religious  worship.     See  Kneeling. 

"  Ghostly."  One  of  the  few  antiquated  words  still  retained 
in  the  Prayer-book.  In  religious  works,  the  term  spiritual 
may  express  its  meaning.  An  instance  of  its  use  occurs,  in 
one  of  the  prayers  in  the  "  Order  of  Confirmation,"  thus, 
"  daily  increase  in  them  *  *  *  *  the  spirit  of  counsel  and 
ghostly  strength."  Here  it  obviously  refers  to  "spiritual 
strength,"  or  strength  to  resist  evil,  and  to  obey  the  holy  will 
of  God. 

The  title  "  Holy  GteV'  is,  in  like  manner,  synonymous 
with  "  Holy  Spirit,''^  the  word  ghost  being  often  used  in  old 
theological  or  devotional  works,  for  soul  or  spirit. 

"It  is  sad  matter,  says  Latimer,  a  godly  matter,  a  ghostly 
matter,  a  matter  of  damnation  and  salvation."  *  Wiclif  has 
a  treatise  entitled  "  The  armor  of  heaven,  or  the  ghostly 
battle,"  i.  e.  the  spiritual  contest. 

Glebe.  A  portion  of  land  belonging  to  a  Church  or 
parish,  the  use  or  revenue  of  which  is  applied  to  the  support 
of  the  Rector,  &c, 

Gloria  in  excelsis.  "  Glory  be  [to  God]  on  high."  One 
of  the  doxologies  of  the  Church,  sometimes  called  the  An- 
gelic hymn,  because  the  first  part  of  it  was  sung  by  the  angels 
at  Bethlehem.  The  latter  portion  of  this  celebrated  hymn 
"  is  ascribed  to  Telesphorus,  about  the  year  of  Christ,  139  ; 
and  the  whole  hymn,  with  very  little  difference,  is  to  be 
found  in  the  Apostolical  Constitutions,  and  was  established  to 
be  used  in  the  Church  service,  by  the  4th  Council  of  Toledo, 
about  a  thousand  years  ago."  f  It  is  used  by  both  the  Greek 
and  Latin  Church.     "  In  the  eastern  Church,"  says  Palmer, 


*  Sermon  on  Covetousness.  t  Wheatly. 


244 


GOD 


"  this  hymn  is  more  than  1500  years  old,  and  the  Church  of 
England  has  used  it  either  at  the  beginning  or  end  of  the 
liturgy  for  above  1200  years."* 

Gloria  Patri.  "  Glory  be  to  the  Father/'  The  Latin 
title  of  one  of  the  primitive  doxologies  of  the  Church,  some- 
times called  the  lesser  doxology,  to  distinguish  it  from  the 
Gloria  in  excelsis,  or  angelical  hymn,  which,  at  the  close 
of  the  psalms  of  the  day,  may  be  substituted  for  it.  From 
the  times  of  the  Apostles,  it  has  been  customary  to  mingle 
ascriptions  of  glory  with  prayer,  and  to  conclude  the  praises 
of  the  Church,  and  also  sermons,  with  gloiy  to  the  Father,  to 
the  Son,  and  to  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  first  part  of  the  Gloria 
Patri,  is  traced  by  St.  Basil  to  the  Apostolic  age  of  the 
Church.  In  the  writings  of  the  Fathers,  doxologies  are  of 
very  frequent  occurrence,  and  in  the  early  Church  they  appear 
to  have  been  used  as  tests,  by  which  orthodox  Christians  and 
Churches  were  distinguished  from  those  which  were  infected 
with  heresy.  The  doxologies  then  in  use,  though  the  same 
in  substance,  were  various  in  their  form  and  mode  of  ex- 
pression. The  Arians  soon  took  advantage  of  this  diversity, 
and  wrested  some  of  them,  so  as  to  appear  to  favor  their  own 
views.  One  of  the  doxologies  which  ran  in  these  words, 
"  Glory  be  to  the  Father,  ly  the  Son,  in  the  Holy  Ghost," 
was  employed  by  them  as  a  support  to  their  unscriptural 
opinions.  In  consequence  of  this,  and  to  set  the  true  doctrine 
of  the  Church  in  the  clearest  light,  the  form  as  now  used 
was  adopted  as  the  standing  doxology  of  the  Church. 

GoD-FATHER.     See  Sponsors. 

"  Godly  motions."  God  worketh  in  us  both  to  will  and  to 
do,  for  all  good  thoughts  and  holy  desires  come  from  Him. 
Therefore  we  pray,  in  the  Collect  for  the  first  Sunday  in  Lent, 
"  that  our  flesh,  being  subdued  to  the  Spirit,  we  may  ever 


*  Origines  Liturgicae,  I.  p.  159. 


GOD  245 

obey  thy  godly  motions  in  righteousness  and  true  holiness." 
This  is  very  similar  to  a  petition  in  the  Easter  Collect,  and 
which  may  serve  for  its  illustration;  "That,  as  thou  dost 
put  into  our  minds  good  desires,  (godly  motions,)  so  by  thy 
continual  help  we  may  bring  the  same  to  good  effect,"  &c. 

GoD-MOTHER.     See  Sponsors. 

"God  of  God."  This,  and  the  expressions  by  which  it 
is  followed,  in  the  Nicene  Creed,  are  simply  designed  to  as- 
sort  in  the  most  decisive  form,  the  essential  Divinity  of  the 
second  Person  of  the  Trinity.  Being  the  Son  of  God — the 
only-begotten  of  the  Father — the  partaker  of  the  divine 
nature,  he  is  therefore  God  of  God,  "  as  one  Man  is  the  Son 
of  another,  though  after  a  spiritual  manner,  and  purely  pro- 
pagated as  one  Light  is  generated  of  another  [Light  of 
Light]  without  diminution  of  Substance,  generated  from  the 
eternal  Essence,  and  not  made  as  Creatures  are  ;  being  of 
one  Essence  with  the  eternal  Father,"  *  and  therefore  "  very 
God  OF  very  God." 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  remind  the  reader,  that  the 
above  expression  is  not  to  be  understood  as  implying  simply 
that  Christ  is  God  over  all  other  gods ;  this  is  far  from  ex- 
pressing the  meaning  of  the  article  ;  for  though  he  is  truly 
"  King  of  Kings,  and  Lord  of  Lords,"  yet  the  Christian  faith 
recognizes  no  God  but  one,  and  the  very  design  of  this  por- 
tion of  the  Creed  was  to  set  forth  the  Redeemer  of  mankind 
as  a  partaker  in  the  one  divine  essence. 

"God  speed."  A  good  old  phrase,  honored  alike  by  the 
Bible  and  the  Prayer-book.  St.  John  cautions  us  f  against 
bidding  "  God  sjpeed,''^  to  any  one  who  "  abideth  not  in  the 
doctrine  of  Christ."  "For"  he  adds,  "he  that  biddeth  him 
God  speed,  is  partaker  of  his  evil  deeds."  God  speed,  is  a 
wish  of  success,  and  is  equivalent  to  "  good  speed  be  to  thee," 


*  Dr.  Nicholls,  t  2  John,  10,  11. 

21* 


^46  6oL 

or  "speed  thee  well."  When  used  with  solemnity,  (and  it 
should  never  be  used  otherwise,)  it  implies  our  benevolent 
feelings  to  its  object  and  his  errand,  and  a  commendation  of 
both  to  the  protection  of  God.  Who  then  does  not  admire 
the  touching  and  affectionate  congratulations  which  the 
Church  enjoins  at  the  Institution  of  a  Minister  into  his  cure, 
when  ''the  Wardens,  Vestry,  and  others  shall  salute  and 
welcome  him,  bidding  him  God  speed.^^  It  is  a  delightful  and 
lovely  relic  of  the  olden  time,  worthy  to  live  when  the  formal 
charities  of  a  worse  age  shall  be  forgotten,  and  the  pastor,  in 
the  truth  of  his  office,  be  rallied  around  as  the  father  of  the 
flock,  the  centre  of  his  spiritual  family. 

Golden  number.  By  referring  to  the  Astronomical  Ta- 
bles at  the  beginning  of  the  Prayer-book,  it  will  be  seen  that 
a  large  proportion  of  them  are  simply  calculations  of  the  day 
on  which  Easter  will  fall  in  any  given  year,  and,  by  conse- 
quence, the  moveable  feasts  depending  on  it.  In  the  early 
Church,  it  is  well  known  that  there  were  many  and  long  dis- 
putes on  this  point,  the  eastern  and  western  Churches  not 
agreeing  on  the  particular  day  for  the  celebration  of  this 
festival.  To  remove  these  difficulties,  the  Council  of  Nice 
came  to  a  decision,  from  which  the  following  rule  was  framed, 
viz  :  "  Easter-day  is  always  the  first  Sunday  after  the  full 
moon  which  happens  upon  or  next  after  the  twenty-first  day 
of  March  ;  and  if  the  full  moon  happens  upon  a  Sunday, 
Easter  day  is  the  Sunday  after." 

To  determine  the  time  of  Easter  in  any  year,  it  was  there- 
fore only  necessary  to  find  out  the  precise  time  of  the  above 
full  moon,  and  calculate  accordingly.  Now  if  the  solar  year 
exactly  corresponded  with  the  lunar,  the  time  of  the  paschal 
moon  would  be  liable  to  no  variation,  and  Easter  would  fall 
on  the  same  day  of  every  year.  But  as  the  lunar  year  is 
really  shorter  than  the  solar,  by  eleven  days,  it  follows  that 
the  paschal  moon  must,  for  a  course  of  years,  always  happen 
at  a  different  period  in  each  successive  year.     If  then  the 


Gos  247 

above  rule  be  observed,  the  time  of  Easter  may  vary  from 
the  22d  of  March  to  the  25th  of  April,  but  somewhere 
within  these  limits  it  will  always  fall.  Hence  the  adoption, 
by  the  Council  of  Nice,  of  the  Metonic  Cycle,  by  which  these 
changes  might  be  determined  with  tolerable  accuracy.  From 
the  great  usefulness  of  this  Cycle,  its  numbers  were  usually 
written  on  the  Calendar  in  letters  of  gold,  from  which  it 
derived  the  name  of  Golden  Number. 

Good  Friday.  This  day  received  its  name  from  the  bless- 
ed effects  of  our  Savior's  sufferings,  which  are  the  ground 
of  all  our  joy  :  and  from  those  unspeakably  good  things  he 
hath  purchased  for  us  by  his  death.  It  is  the  day  on  which 
the  great  sacrifice  was  offered  up  for  sin,  and  has  been  set 
apart  for  a  peculiar  solemnity  of  devotion,  from  the  first  ages 
of  Christianity.  "  How  inconsistent  and  how  culpable  is  the 
conduct  of  those  Christians,  who,  belonging  to  a  Church 
which  sets  apart  a  day  for  the  commemoration  of  their 
Savior's  death,  do  not  thus  devote  it,  but  pursue  on  this  day 
their  customary  business  and  pleasures  !  " 

"  Goodly  fellowship."  See  the  Te  Deum.  "  The  goodly 
fellowship  of  the  Prophets  praise  thee."  The  eTpiihei  goodly 
denotes  the  excellence  and  sanctity  of  these  venerable  men, 
"of  whom  the  world  was  not  worthy.-'  And  by  the  term 
fellowship  may  be  understood  their  relation  to  each  other, 
notwithstanding  the  various  times  in  which  they  flourished  ; 
and  the  fact  of  their  forming  a  distinct  class  to  execute  the 
commands  of  the  Most  High. 

Gospel.  The  history  of  the  life  and  doctrines  of  our 
Blessed  Redeemer,  as  written  in  Matthew,  Mark,  Luke  and 
John,  and  elaborated  in  the  Apostolical  Epistles. 

In  the  Prayer-book,  that  portion  of  Scripture  which  is  read 
immediately  after  the  Epistle  in  the  ante-communion,  is  called 
by  this  name,  from  its  being  taken  from  one  of  the  four  Gos- 
pels. Before  it  is  read,  the  congregation  rise  and  give  thanks 
to  God  by  saying  or  singing  "  Glory  be  to  thee,  O  Lord," 


248  HAN 

indicating  their  gratitude  to  God,  for  the  sacred  gospel  now 
about  to  be  read  to  them. 

Gospeller.  A  Clergyman  appointed  to  read  the  Gospel 
of  the  day.  See  Epistler.  This  term  was  also  applied  in 
derision,  by  the  Romanists,  to  the  reformers,  on  account  of 
their  valiant  and  determined  persistence  in  preaching  the 
gospel,  and  exhorting  all  men  to  judge  by  it  of  their  doctrine, 
whether  it  was  of  God. 

"Governance."     See  Collect  for  Grace  in  the  Morning 

Prayer:  " that  all  our  doings,   being  ordered  by  thy 

governance,^'  &c.  ; — i.  e.,  being  subject  to  God's  control, 
direction,  and  government, — they  may  be  righteous  in  his 
sight. 

Government,  Church.     See  Church  Government, 

Gown.     See  Clerical  Garments. 


H. 


Hades.     See  Hell,  Descent  into, 

"Hands,  into  their.''  In  the  Communion  office,  it  is  or- 
dered  that  the  elements  shall  be  delivered  into  the  hands  of 
the  people,  according  to  the  primitive  mode  of  receiving  this 
Sacrament.  There  is  here  an  implied  censure  of  certain 
customs  which  had  crept  into  the  Church,  having  neither 
reason  nor  Scripture  to  support  them.  "  At  an  early  age," 
says  Wheatly,  "  some  indiscreet  persons  pretending  greater 
reverence  to  the  elements,  as  if  they  were  defiled  with  their 
hands,  put  themselves  to  the  charges  of  providing  little 
saucers,  or  plates,  of  gold,  to  receive  the  bread,  until  they 
were  forbidden  by  the  sixth  general  council.  Another  abuse 
the  Church  of  Rome  brought  in,  where  the  Priest  puts  it  into 
the  people's  mouths,  lest  a  crumb  should  fall  aside."     To 


HEL  249 

counteract  all  such  notions,  the  Church  has  wisely  provided, 
that  the  elements  shall  be  delivered  into  the  hands  of  the 
communicants. 

"Happy  issue."     See  the  Prayer  for  "  all  Conditions  of 

Men  :  "  " giving  them  patience  under  their  sufferings, 

and  a  happy  issue  out  of  all  their  afflictions,"  &c.  The  ex- 
pression is  not  to  be  understood  as  referring  exclusively  to  a 
restoration  to  health,  but  to  a  favorable  and  blessed  result, 
whether  in  life  or  death. 

"  Health."  In  a  spiritual  sense,  safety,  protection,  or  pu- 
rity of  spirit,  as  in  the  expressions  : — "  there  is  no  health  in 
us  ;  " — "  to  know  and  believe  to  his  soul's  health  ;  " — "  thy 
saving  health  to  all  nations  ;  " — "  the  voice  of  joy  and  health 
is  in  the  dwellings  of  the  righteous  ;  " — "  Lord,  I  have  looked 
for  thy  saving  health.^^ 

The  following  parallel  cases  are  from  Wichf : — "  The 
ground  of  health,  that  is,  a  Christian  man's  belief;  for  with- 
out belief,  [faith,]  it  is  impossible,  as  St.  Paul  saith,  that  any 
man  can  please  God  :  " — "  Whereto,  therefore,  say  ye  idly, — 
*  We  shall  be  saved  in  Jesus,' — while  ye  cease  not  to  hate 
him,  without  whom  ye  cannot  have  health  !  " 

Hell,  Descent  into.  In  the  3d  Article  of  Religion,  it  is 
declared,  that,  "  As  Christ  died  for  us,  and  was  buried,  so 
also  is  it  to  be  believed,  that  he  went  down  into  hell.'''  One 
of  the  Articles  of  the  Apostles'  Creed  also  expresses  the 
same  truth,  in  the  words,  "he  descended  into  hell.''  These 
are  fully  borne  out  by  the  language  of  Scripture.  See  Acts, 
ii.  27, — Psalm  xvi.  10, — and  1  Peter,  iii.  18,  19. 

The  main  source  of  difficulty  in  relation  to  the  doctrine  of 
Christ's  descent  into  hell,  arises  from  the  fact  that  two  en- 
tirely  different  words  in  the  original  language  of  the  New 
Testament  are  rendered,  in  our  version,  by  the  single  word, 
"hell."  The  first  of  these  is  hades,  which  occurs  eleven 
times  in  the  New  Testament,  and  in  every  case  but  one,  is 
translated  "hell."     Now,  hades  is  never  used  to  denote  the 


250  HELL. 

place  of  final  torment, — the  regions  of  the  damned  ;  but  signi- 
fies "the  place  of  departed  spirits,"  whether  good  or  bad, — the 
place  where  they  are  kept  until  the  day  of  judgment,  when 
they  shall  be  reunited  to  their  bodies,  and  go  each  to  his  ap- 
pointed destiny.  The  other  word,-  gelienna,  signifies  the 
place  of  torment, — the  eternal  abode  of  the  wicked.  At  the 
time  when  our  translation  was  made,  and  the  Prayer-book 
compiled,  the  English  word  "  hell,"  had  a  more  extensive 
meaning  than  it  has  at  present.  It  originally  signified,  to 
cover  over  or  conceal;  and  is  still  used  in  this  sense  in  seve- 
ral  parts  of  England,  where,  for  example,  to  cover  a  church 
or  house  with  a  roof,  is  to  hell  the  building,  and  the  person  by 
whom  it  is  done  is  called  a  Tiellier.  But  the  word  also  de- 
noted the  place  of  future  misery,  and  is  accordingly  used  in 
that  sense  in  the  New  Testament,  as  the  translation  of  ge- 
henna  ;  and  in  consequence  of  the  changes  which  our  Ian- 
guage  has  experienced  during  the  last  200  years,  it  is  now 
restricted  to  this  particular  meaning. 

Bearing  in  mind,  then,  that  hades  Avas  translated  by  the 
word  "  hell,"  for  want  of  another  more  exactly  corresponding 
with  the  original,  the  reader  will  perceive  that  the  above 
Article  in  the  Creed,  does  not  refer  to  the  place  of  final 
misery,  but  to  that  general  receptacle  of  all  departed  human 
souls,  both  penitent  and  impenitent,  where  they  are  reserved 
in  a  state  of  comparative  enjoyment  or  misery,  to  wait  the 
morning  of  the  resurrection,  "when,  their  bodies  being  united 
to  their  souls,  they  will  be  advanced  to  complete  felicity  or  wo, 
in  heaven  or  hell." 

On  the  death  of  our  Lord,  his  soul, — his  human  soul, — went 
to  this  "  place  of  departed  spirits."  It  was  necessary  that 
his  death  should  be  attended  with  all  those  circumstances 
Avhich  mark  the  death  of  men.  Christ  was  possessed  of  a 
human  nature,  both  body  and  soul,  besides  his  divinity. 
The  body  of  man  at  death  sinks  to  the  grave  ;  and  the  soul 
goes  to  hades,  or  the  place  of  departed  spirits.     In  like  man- 


HIE  251 

ner,  the  body  of  Jesus  Christ  was  laid  in  the  tomb,  but  his 
soul  went  to  the  general  repository  of  human  disembodied 
spirits,  where,  according  to  St.  Peter,  he  declared  the  fulfil- 
ment of  the  great  work  of  redemption, — he  went  and  preached 
to  the  spirits  in  prison." 

Heresiarch,     The  chief  leader  or  head  of  a  heresy. 

Heresy.  A  wilful  and  obstinate  departure  from  the  or- 
thodox faith  of  the  Christian  Church. 

Heretic.  One  who  wilfully  holds  false  opinions  "  repug- 
nant to  some  point  of  doctrine  clearly  revealed  in  Scripture, 
and  either  absolutely  essential  to  the  Christian  faith,  or  at 
least  of  the  highest  importance." 

Heretical.  Relating  to,  or  having  the  character  of  a 
heresy. 

Heterodox.  Contrary  to  the  established  faith  or  doctrine 
of  the  Church. 

Hierarchy.  A  designation  equally  applied  to  the  ranks 
of  celestial  beings  in  the  Jerusalem  above,  and  to  the  Apos- 
tolic order  of  the  Ministry  in  the  Church  below.  In  refer- 
ence to  the  latter,  it  is  an  error  to  suppose  that  it  necessarily 
implies  temporal  distinction,  wealth,  splendor,  or  any  other 
adjuncts  with  which  the  Ministry  may,  in  certain  times  and 
countries,  have  been  distinguished.  These  are  mere  acci- 
dents, which  prejudice  has  identified  with  the  being  of  a 
hierarchy,  but  from  which  no  just  inference  can  be  drawn 
against  the  inherent  spiritual  dignity  of  the  Christian  priest- 
hood. 

Hierome.  One  of  the  ancient  Fathers  of  the  Church, 
better  known  by  the  name  of  Jerome,  or  St,  Jerome.  He 
lived  about  1450  years  ago,  and  wrote  many  valuable  works, 
containing,  among  other  things,  comments,  &c.,  on  many  of 
the  books  of  Scripture.  The  greatness  of  his  reputation, 
and  the  sanctity  of  his  life,  are  well  known.  St.  Jerome 
was  never  advance'd  to  the  rank  of  Bishop,  but,  like  Tertul- 
lian  and  Origen,  remained  a  presbyter  to  the  close  of  his 


252  HOL 

life.     His  name  is  mentioned  in  the  6th  Article  of  Religion 
where  an  expression  of  his  is  quoted. 

HiERUsALEM.  The  Same  with  JERUSALEM.  See  the  19th 
Article  of  Religion,  in  the  Prayer-book. 

•'  Holiness  and  righteousness."  It  has  frequently  been 
remarked,  that,  in  the  Liturgy,  words  occur  in  immediate 
juxtaposition,  carrying  the  same  general  meaning,  and  giving 
the  appearance  of  needless  tautologies.  This  is  not  the 
effect  of  accident  or  negligence  on  the  part  of  its  compilers, 
but  was  done  with  the  design  of  making  the  Liturgy  intelli- 
gible even  to  persons  of  the  narrowest  education.  Simpli- 
city, combined  with  dignity,  is  one  of  the  happiest  character- 
istics of  the  Liturgy.  Every  care  was  taken  in  its  formation 
that  both  the  refined  and  the  illiterate  might  be  edified.  On 
the  occurrence  of  words  which  might  not  be  generally  under- 
stood, we  find  therefore  another  immediately  following,  of 
the  same  or  similar  meaning.  Sometimes  too  a  word  derived 
from  the  Latin  is  attended  by  another  of  the  same  import 
from  the  Saxon.  The  following  cases  will  illustrate  this 
peculiarity  of  the  Liturgy; — holiness  and  righteousness; — 
acknowledge  and  confess; — peril  and  danger; — assemble  and 
meet  together; — craft  and  subtilty; — requisite  and  necessary; 
erred  and  strayed ; — declare  and  pronounce  ;  and  confirm  and 
strengthen. 

"Holpen."  See  Psalm  xxii.  5.,  in  the  Prayer-Book, — 
"  They  called  upon  thee,  and  were  holpen ;  they  put  their 
trust  in  thee,  and  were  not  confounded."  Holpen  is  the  ob. 
solete  form  for  ^'helpedJ^  The  verse  will  be  understood,  by 
reading,  •'  they  called  upon  thee,  and  were  helped  " — that  is, 
God  heard  their  prayer,  and  mercifully  delivered  them  from 
their  troubles. 

Holy  cross  day.     See  Cross,  Holy. 

Holy  days.  Among  the  earliest  means  adopted  by  the 
Church,  for  the  purpose  of  impressing  on  the  minds  of  her 
children  the  great  and  interesting  scenes  of  the  Gospel  his- 


holv-days.  253 

tory,  and  the  extraordinary  events  which  marked  the  first 
planting  of  Christianity,  was  the  appointment  of  a  train  of 
anniversaries  and  holy-days  with  appropriate  services,  com- 
memorative of  all  the  prominent  transactions  of  the  Re- 
deemer's life  and  death,  and  of  the  labors  and  virtues  of  the 
Blessed  Apostles  and  Evangelists.  These  Institutions,  so 
replete  with  hallowed  associations,  have  descended  to  our 
own  day,  and  the  observance  of  them  is  commended  by  the 
assent  of  every  discerning  and  unprejudiced  mind — is  sus- 
tained by  the  very  constiluti(m  of  our  nature,  which  loves  to 
preserve  the  annual  memory  of  important  events,  and  is  in 
the  highest  degree  reasonable,  delightful,  profitable,  and 
devout. 

The  Church  can  see  no  valuable  end  to  be  attained  by  re- 
garding the  claims  of  that  disafftction  which  would  rob  her 
of  so  ancient  and  so  religious  a  custom.  In  the  assumption 
that  the  facts  of  revelation  can  be  sufficiently  retained  in  the 
mind  without  external  commemoration,  there  is  certainly 
ground  for  the  suspicion  that  those  facts  are  under-estimated 
by  the  objector ;  for  we  value  the  day  not  as  holy  per  se,  but 
for  the  sake  of  the  subject  of  which  it  is  the  vehicle. 

Suppose  a  body  of  American  citizens  should  form  a  soci- 
ety, and  in  their  Constitution  declare  that  the  memory  of  the 
independence  of  the  nation,  and  of  its  written  declaration, 
and  of  the  birth-day  of  Washington,  &c.,  &c.,  would  be  well 
enough  preserved  and  perpetuated,  without  the  troublesome 
formality  of  the  customary  celebrations  ;  and  that  it  there- 
fore became  their  duty,  as  sober-minded  citizens,  to  over, 
turn  altogether  those  festivals  as  grounded  on  a  false  prin- 
ciple,  or  still  better,  to  change  them  into  seasons  of  sorrow 
and  lamentation.  Now  what  would  be  the  public  verdict  on 
such  a  proceeding?  What  would  be  thought  of  its  origin- 
ators'?  If  we  are  not  mistaken,  the  community  would  very 
soon  learn  to  bring  their  soundness  of  judgment  into  ques- 
tion,  even  if  they  would  not  proceed  to  arraign  their  patriot- 


254  HOLY-DAYS. 

ism  itself.  We  plead  for  holy. days  in  the  Church  on  this 
same  principle,  th.-it  the  vivid  sense  and  estimation  of  the 
fact,  is  heightened  by  a  periodical  concentration  of  the  mind 
upon  that  fad;  in  other  words,  by  the  devout  ob:servance  of  a 
day  of  celebration.  There  is  also  something  highly  reason- 
able  in  the  institution  of  holy-days ;  for  if  it  is  universally 
conceded  that  in  national  and  civil  concerns,  there  is  a  mani- 
fest  propriety  in  the  appointment  of  certain  days  for  the  com- 
memoration  of  striking  events  or  remarkable  persons,  so  are 
they  equally  wise  and  proper  in  the  Church,  and  no  sound 
reason  can  be  shown  why  the  Church  should  not  at  definite 
times  celebrate  the  various  events  in  the  history  of  her  great 
Head,  and  bring  to  our  remembrance  and  recommend  to  our 
imitation,  the  virtues  and  the  piety  of  her  "  shining  lights." 
It  is  considered  also  both  reasonable  and  proper,  that  civil 
rulers  should  appoint  public  fasts,  days  of  thanksgiving,  and 
days  for  special  supplication  in  national  emergencies.  But 
if  all  this  may  lawiully  be  done  by  the  State,  and  is  allow- 
edly  praiseworthy,  surely  the  same  is  at  least  equally  reason- 
able when  done  by  the  constituted  authorities  of  the  Church. 
The  principle  is  also  admitted  in  its  fullest  extent  by  almost 
all  denominations  of  Christians,  when  they  appoint  days  for 
fasts,  simultaneous  meetings,  thanksgivings,  anniversaries, 
and  religious  commemorations  of  certain  events  in  civil  his- 
tory. The  Church  cannot  therefore  justly  be  censured  for 
exercising  a  privilege  universally  claimed,  and  for  selecting 
from  the  gospel  history  the  subjects  which  she  celebrates. 

Respecting  the  character  and  object  of  these  days,  it  will 
be  perceived  at  once  that  a  very  considerable  number  of  them 
are  set  apart  fur  the  purpose  of  bringing  before  us  the  prin- 
cipal facts  in  the  life  of  our  Saviour,  and  in  the  history  of  our 
redemption.  These  can  never  be  too  strongly  impjinted  on 
the  mind,  and  they  must  always  be  subjects  of  grateful  re- 
collection  and  reviving  thought,  to  all  "  who  love  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  in  sincerity."     It  is  true  that  the  detail  of  these 


HOLY-DAYS.  255 

events,  as  given  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  will  engage  and  im- 
press every  devout  mind ;  but,  as  we  have  already  hinted, 
nature  itself  teaches  that  well  known  facts  are  brought  to 
bear  with  an  increased  force  on  the  mind,  by  the  appoint- 
ment of  set  times  for  their  celebration.  And  this  principle 
of  our  nature  was  recognized  and  sanctioned  by  God  himself, 
in  the  institution  of  solemn  festivals  under  the  Jewish  dis- 
pensation. 

Another  class  of  holy-days  have  relation  to  the  memory  of 
departed  saints ;  and  the  object  of  the  Church  is  to  lead  us 
to  bless  God  for  the  evidences  of  his  grace,  in  their  exemplary 
lives,  and  their  triumphant  death,  and  to  encourage  us  to  the 
exercise  of  the  same  virtues  which  irradiated  their  character. 
The  early  Christians  were  deeply  impressed  with  the  reason, 
ableness  of  holding  "  the  righteous  in  everlasting  remem- 
brance,"  they  felt  that  "the  memory  of  the  just  is  blessed," 
they  esteemed  it  as  a  law  to  "  remember  them  who  had  once 
had  the  rule  over  them,  and  who  had  spoken  unto  them  the 
word  of  God."  And  from  this  conviction  arose  the  custom 
of  honormg  certain  days  more  especially  to  their  memory, 
and  of  periodically  beseeching  God  that  grace  might  be  given 
^'to  follow  their  good  examples.^'  We  do  not  pretend  to  say 
that  such  appointments  are  safe  from  abuse,  for  it  is  beyond 
question  that  in  former  ages,  as  well  as  in  some  unreformed 
Churches  at  the  present  day,  these  have  been  multiplied  to 
an  extent  so  great  as  to  engross  almost  every  day  in  the  year, 
and  thus  to  east  many  important  and  essential  duties  of  the 
Gospel  into  the  shade.  They  have  also  been  abused  by  the 
elevation  of  persons  to  the  rank  of  saints,  of  whom  little  is 
known,  and  of  whose  piety  (not  to  say  of  whose  existence,) 
we  have  very  scanty  evidence  ;  and  the  sacred  nature  of 
these  festivals  has  frequently  been  set  aside,  or  exchanged 
for  secular  mirth,  riot,  and  disorder.  But  against  all  these 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  has  guarded,  by  appointing 
no  celebrations  in  particular,  except  for  such  persons  as  stand 


256  HOLY-DAYS. 

forth  for  our  imitation  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  by  re- 
quiring that  the  employments  of  these  days  shall  be  of  a 
strictly  religious  character. 

There  is  something  truly  admirable  in  the  order  and  sue- 
cession  of  these  holy-days.  Our  Church  begins  her  ecclesi. 
astical  year  with  the  Sundays  in  Advent,  to  remind  us  of  the 
coming  of  Christ  in  the  flesh.  After  these,  we  are  brought 
to  contemplate  the  mystery  of  the  Incarnation  ;  and  so,  step 
by  step,  we  follow  the  Church  through  all  the  events  of  our 
Savior's  pilgrimage,  to  his  ascension  into  heaven.  In  all 
this,  the  grand  object  is,  to  keep  Christ  perpetually  before  us, 
to  make  him  and  his  doctrine  the  chief  object  in  all  our 
varied  services.  Every  Sunday  has  its  peculiar  character, 
and  has  reference  to  some  act  or  scene  in  the  life  of  our  Lord, 
or  the  redemption  achieved  by  him.  Thus  every  year  brings 
the  whole  Gospel  history  to  view ;  and  it  will  be  found,  as 
a  general  rule,  that  the  appointed  portions  of  Scripture  in  each 
day's  service,  are  mutually  illustrative ;  the  New  Testament 
casting  light  on  the  Old — prophecy  being  admirably  brought 
in  contact  with  its  accomplishment,  so  that  no  plan  could  be 
devised  for  a  more  profitable  course  of  Scripture  reading  than 
that  presented  by  the  Church  on  her  holy-days. 

The  objections  against  the  keeping  of  holy-days  are  such 
as  these.  St.  Paul  says,  "Ye  observe  days,  and  months, 
and  times,  and  years,"  &c.  This  occurs  in  the  Epistle  to 
the  Galatians.  Again  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Colossians,  "  let 
no  man  judge  you  *  *  *  in  respect  of  a  holy-day,"  &c. 
From  these  it  is  argued,  that  as  we  are  brought  into  the 
liberty  of  the  Gospel,  we  are  no  longer  bound  to  the  observ- 
ance of  holy-days,  which  are  but  "  beggarly  elements." 
Respecting  the  first,  it  is  surprising  that  no  one  has  "con- 
scientiously "  drawn  from  it  an  inference  for  the  neglect  of 
the  civil  division  of  time  :  and  in  relation  to  both,  it  requires 
only  an  attentive  reading  of  the  Epistles  from  which  they 
are  taken,  to  see  that  they  have  no  more  connection  with  the 


HOLY-DAYS.  257 

holy-days  of  the  Church,  than  witli  Episcopacy.  The  Apos. 
tie  is  warning  the  Gentile  Christians  to  beware  of  the  attempts 
of  Judaizing  teachers  to  subvert  their  faith.  It  was  the  aim 
of  these  to  bring  the  converts  under  the  obligations  of  the 
Jewish  ritual,  and  some  progress  appears  to  have  been  made 
in  their  attempts.  Paul,  therefore,  reminds  them  that  these 
were  but  the  shadow  of  good  things  to  come,  while  Christ 
was  the  body.  The  passages  therefore  have  no  relevancy  to 
the  question  ;  or,  if  they  have,  they  show  that  while  Chris- 
tians abandoned  the  Jewish  festivals,  they  were  to  observe 
their  own.  If  they  were  to  forsake  the  shadow,  they  were  to 
cleave  to  the  substance. 

Again  ;  if  we  keep  holy-days,  v/e  are  said  to  favor  Ro- 
manism.  But  these  days  were  hallowed  long  before  corrup- 
tion was  known  in  the  Ramish  Church.  And  waiving  this, 
let  it  be  remembered,  that  we  are  accustomed  to  judge  of 
things  by  their  intrinsic  worth,  and  the  main  point  to  be  de- 
termined is,  v/hether  they  are  right  or  wrong.  If  they  are 
right,  wc  receive  them ;  and  if  they  are  not  right,  we  reject 
them,  whether  they  are  received  by  the  Church  of  Rome  or 
not.  We  abandon  the  worship  of  images,  not  because  it  is  in 
the  Romish  Church,  but  because  it  is  morally  sinful  and  idol- 
atrous. On  the  other  hand,  we  receive  the  doctrine  of  the 
Trinity,  though  held  by  the  Church  of  Rome,  and  this  solely 
because  we  judge  that  doctrine  to  be  right  and  scriptural. 

The  most  popular  objection  urged  againr^t  holy-days,  is 
grounded  on  the  assumed  uncertainty  of  the  time  when  some 
celebrated  events  occurred.  Thus  it  is  contended,  that  in  re- 
lation to  Christmas,  Good  Friday,  Easter,  &c.,  as  we  cannot 
determine  the  precise  day,  it  is  vain  to  dedicate  any  day  to 
their  celebration.  On  this  point  we  should  reason  very  dif- 
ferently ;  for,  granting  that  the  true  day  is  uncertain,  does  it 
necessarily  follow  that  no  day  is  to  be  kept?  May  not  the 
Church  appoint  some  certain  day  for  the  commemoration  of 
an  event,  though  the  actual  day  of  the  event  is  lost?     Sup- 

22* 


258  HOL 

pose  the  4th  of  July  to  happen  on  Sunday,  it  is  in  consequence 
celebrated  on  the  3d  or  5th;  but  does  this  change  of  the 
day  vitiate  the  force  or  alter  the  nature  of  the  festival?  Is 
patriotism  to  be  regulated  by  a  chronometer  ?  In  like  man- 
ner, suppose  we  should  not  really  know  the  exact  day  on 
which  our  Redeemer  was  born,  but  should  keep  the  feast  on 
the  1st  of  January,  or  on  any  other  day  ;  would  this  destroy 
all  the  utility  and  do  away  with  all  the  benefits  of  Christmas  ? 

But  we  claim  a  decided  certainly  respectirg  these  days  :  for 
in  relation  to  Easter  and  the  days  dependent  on  it,  the  hea- 
venly bodies  are  our  guides,  and  unless  these  vary  in  their 
motions,  our  appointed  days  are  the  true  anniversaries  of  the 
events  they  represent.  And  as  it  respects  Christmas,  the 
proof  that  we  are  correct,  is  too  abundant  to  be  questioned. 
We  have  the  testimony  of  numerous  writers  of  antiquity, 
and  the  plain  fact  that  the  same  day  which  we  keep,  has  been 
kept  from  the  earliest  ages.  The  day  was  not  appointed  by 
the  modern  Church,  but  retained  as  it  has  been  in  the  Church 
from  the  beginning. 

It  is  a  pleasing  thing  to  observe  that  every  where  the  wis- 
dom of  the  Church  in  her  institutions  is  becoming  better 
known,  that  objections  to  the  observance  of  her  holy-days 
are  rapidly  wearing  away,  and  that  the  principle  itself  is 
almost  universally  acknowledged  as  salutary,  in  the  appoint- 
ment of  set  days  for  various  religious  purposes  among  all 
denominations  of  Christians.  See  the  articles  on  the  titles 
of  the  respective  Holy-days. 

Holy  Orders.     See  Orders,  Holy. 

Holy  Rood.  The  term  rood,  from  the  Saxon  rode  or  rod, 
was  anciently  used  for  a  cross  or  crucifix.  Hence  the  title 
of  Holy  Rood,  (or  Holy  Cross,)  day,  a  festival  formerly  ob- 
served  in  memory  of  the  alleged  recovery  of  a  large  frag- 
ment of  the  true  cross,  by  the  Emperor  Heraclius,  after  it 
had  been  carried  away  on  the  plundering  of  Jerusalem,  bv 
Chosroes,  king  of  Persia,  about  the  year  of  Christ  615. 


HOM  259 

Holy  table.  The  altar  or  table  on  which  the  sacred 
elements  are  placed  at  the  Lord's  Supper.     See  Altar. 

Holy  Thursday.     See  Ascension  day. 

Holy  week.     See  Passion  week. 

Homilies.  The  Homilies  of  the  Church  are  two  books  of 
plain  discourses,  composed  at  the  time  of  the  Reformation, 
and  appointed  to  be  read  in  Churches,  on  "any  Sunday  or 
Holy-day,  when  there  is  no  Sermon."  "The  first  volume  of 
them  was  set  out  in  the  beginning  of  King  Edward  Vl's 
reign,  having  been  composed  (as  it  is  thought)  by  Archbishop 
Cranmer,  Bishop  Ridley,  and  Latimer  *  *  *  when  a  com- 
potent  number  of  Ministers,  of  sufficient  abilities  to  preach 
in  a  public  congregation,  was  not  to  be  found."*  The  se- 
cond book  appeared  in  1562,  in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth.  In 
neither  of  these  books,  "can  the  several  Homilies  be  as- 
signed to  their  several  authors  with  any  certainty."  f  In  the 
second  book  "  no  single  Homily  of  them  all  has  been  appro- 
priated.""!-  In  the  first,  that  on  "Salvation"  was  probably 
written  by  Cranmer,  as  also  those  on  "  Faith,''  and  "  Good 
Works  " — "  Internal  evidence  arising  out  of  certain  homely 
expressions,  and  peculiar  forms  of  ejaculation,  the  like  to 
which  occur  in  Latimer's  Sermons,  pretty  clearly  betray  the 
hand  of  the  Bishop  of  Worcester  to  have  been  engaged  in 
the  homily  against"  brawling  and  contention;"  the  one 
against  "adultery"  may  be  safely  given  to  Thomas  B.-con, 
one  of  Cranmer's  chaplains,  in  whose  works,  published  in 
1564,  it  is  still  to  be  found  ;  of  the  rest  nothing  is  known  but 
by  the  merest  conjecture."  f 

In  Article  XXXV.  is  given  a  list  of  the  Homilies,  together 
with  the  rank  and  character  assigned  them  by  the  Church. 
In  this  the  American  Church  coincides,  but  suspends  the 
reading  of  them  in  Churches  "  until  a  revision  of  them  may 


*  Wheatly.  t  Blunt,  Hist.  Ref.  p.  195. 


260  HYP 

be  conveniently  made,  for  the  clearing  of  them,  as  well  from 
obsolete  words  and  phrases,  as  from  the  local  references." 

Host.  From  the  Latin  hostia,  a  sacrifice.  The  name  by 
which,  in  the  Church  of  Rome,  the  consecrated  bread  in  the 
Eucharist  is  called.  In  this  term  is  embodied  the  doctrine 
of  that  Church,  relative  to  transubstantiation,  or  the  change 
of  the  bread  into  the  true  body  of  Christ ;  and  also  that  of 
the  Eucharist  being  a  propitiatory  sacrifice  for  the  sins  of 
both  the  living  and  the  dead.  The  term  has,  therefore,  been 
abandoned  by  the  reformed  Church. 

House  of  Bishops.     See  Convention. 

House  of  Clerical  and  Lay  Deputies.  See  Conven- 
tion. 

Hymn.  The  title  of  Hymn  is  not  confined,  by  the  Church, 
to  those  songs  of  praise  which  appear  in  English  metre,  but 
is  frequently  used  in  its  more  extensive  import,  to  embrace 
those  holy  anthems  with  which  the  Scriptures  abound,  and 
also  the  compositions  of  uninspired  men,  which  were  used  in 
the  primitive  Church.  Thus  the  name  of  "hymn"  is  given 
in  the  Prayer-book  to  the  song  of  Zacharias,  from  Luke, 
ch.  i.  : — "  Blessed  be  the  Lord  God  of  Israel,"  &c.  Also 
to  the  "Te  Deum."  In  the  "Churching  of  Women,"  a 
part  of  the  116th  Psalm  is  called  a  hymn.  And  in  the  Forms 
of  Prayer  to  be  used  at  sea,  several  portions  of  the  Book  of 
Psalms  are  thus  denominated.  The  j)salms,  &c.,  which  are 
sung  or  said  after-the  reading  of  the  Lessons  of  Scripture, 
are  also  frequently  styled  hymns.  In  this  the  Church  retains 
the  use  of  the  word  as  applicable  to  the  Psalms,  &c.,  in  their 
true  character  as  Hebrew  poetry,  though  assuming,  in  our 
translation,  the  form  of  prose. 

Hypothetical.  This  term  is  sometimes  used  in  relation 
to  a  baptism  administered  to  a  child,  of  whom  it  is  uncertain 
whether  he  has  been  already  baptized  or  not.  The  Rubric 
states,  that  "  if  they  who  bring  the  infant  to  the  Church,  do 
make  such  uncertain  answers  to  the  Minister's  questions  as 


IGN  261 

that  it  cannot  appear  that  the  child  was  baptized  with  water, 
in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,"  then  the  Minister,  on  performing  the  baptism,  is  to 
use  this  form  of  words,  viz  :— 

« If  thou  art  not  already  baptized,  N ,  I  baptize  thee  in 

the  name,"  &c. 

This,  therefore,  is  called  an  hypothetical  or  conditional 
form,  being  used  only  on  the  supposition,  that  the  child  may 
not  have  already  received  baptism. 


I. 


"Ignorance  in  asking."  An  expression  occurring  in 
one  of  the  Collects  at  the  end  of  the  Communion  office,  im- 
plying that  even  in  the  exercise  of  prayer  itself  there  are  de- 
fects which  need  the  pardoning  grace  of  God.  In  the  Litany 
we  further  pray,  that  "sins,  negligences,  and  ignorances" 
may  be  forgiven,  and  this  is  by  no  means  a  superfluous  or 
useless  petition.  It  is  doubtless  true,  that  God  will  punish 
none  who  are  ignorant  from  actual  incapability.  And 
among  accountable  beings,  the  severity  of  punishment  will 
also  be  proportioned  to  the  light  and  means  of  knowledge 
resisted.  With  many,  therefore,  the  plea  of  ignorance  must 
be  altogether  out  of  the  question  ;  for  the  Scriptures  of  truth 
are  thrown  open  to  every  man.  And  if,  in  the  present  day, 
we  should  esteem  that  man  deserving  of  censure,  who  passes 
through  life  without  acquiring  the  first  principles  of  educa- 
tion,  in  the  midst  of  favorable  opportunities :  so  will  God 
righteously  treat  with  severity  the  man  who  remains  igno- 
rant of  his  truth,  when  he  is  privileged  with  countless  means 
and  advantages  for  learning  it.  Well,  therefore,  may  we 
pray  "that  it  may  please"  God  "to  forgive  us  all  our  sins, 
negligences,  and  ignorances." 


262  IMM 

I.  H.  S.  An  inscription  formerly  very  common  on  pulpits, 
books,  and  other  furniture  of  Churches.  The  letters  are  the 
initials  of  "Jesus  Hominum  Salvator  :" — Jesus,  the  Savior 
of  men.  By  some  writers  they  are  supposed  to  be  derived 
from  the  name  'IrjCotc:,  (Jesus,)  of  which  they  form  the  first 
three  letters  in  Greek,  with  a  slight  modification.  Some- 
times the  H.  is  ornamented  by  a  cross  mounted  on  the  mid- 
dle stroke. 

Immaculate  conception.  A  doctrine  maintained  in  the 
Romish  Church,  that  the  Virgin  Mary  was  conceived  and 
born  without  sin.  A  festival  bearing  the  name  of  Conception 
is  still  observed  in  that  Church,  in  memory  of  "the  inestima- 
ble privilege  granted  to  the  mother  of  God,  of  being  conceived 
in  original  justice,  and  exempted  from  all  sin."  * 

Immersion.  One  of  the  modes  in  which  the  Sacrament 
of  Baptism  is  administered,  consisting  in  the  plunging  or 
dipping  of  the  person  in  water. 

The  views  of  the  Church  respecting  the  mode  of  Baptism 
are  simply  these  : — 1.  That  the  application  of  water  to  the 
body,  is  essential  to  the  validity  of  the  Sacrament.  2.  That 
no  inspired  precept  has  been  given  relative  to  the  quantity  of 
water  to  be  employed ;  neither  can  this  be  determined  from 
a  review  of  the  cases  of  Baptism  recorded  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament. 3.  That,  therefore,  it  must  be  a  matter  of  indiffer- 
ence, whether  the  body  be  plunged  in  water,  or  whether  the 
element  be  applied  in  the  form  of  pouring  or  sprinkling,  inas- 
much as,  (in  the  absence  of  precept,)  all  these  modes  meet 
the  spirit  of  the  requirement,  and  have  been  held  valid  from 
a  very  early  age. 

The  varieties  in  the  mode  of  Baptism  are  generally  stated 
as  follows  : — 

1.  Immersion,  dipping,  or  plunging. 


Metropolitan  Cathulic  Almanac,  1838. 


IMMERSION.  263 

2.  Affusion,  or  pouring. 
.3.  Aspersion,  or  sprinkling. 
All  these  the  Cliurch  regards  as  lawful  modes  of  Baptism. 
As  to  the  first,  we  freely  grant  its  antiquity  and  validity, 
and,  consequently,  it  is  retained  by  the  Church,  as  may  be 
seen  from  the  Rubrics  in  the  Baptismal  offices.     It  is  also 
granted,  that,  in  the  early  ages  of  the   Church,  immersion 
prevailed  very  extensively,  perhaps   more   extensively  than 
any  of  the  other  modes  of  Baptism  ;  and,  amid  the  number  of 
Scripture  examples,  the  probability  is  that  Baptism  was  in 
some  cases  thus  administered  by  the  Apostles  or  their  fellow- 
laborers  in  the  ministry. 

In  advocating  affusion  and  sprinkling,  we  take  the  testi- 
mony of  Scripture  and  antiquity.     The  word  "baptize,"  has 
in  Scripture  so  great  a  breadth  of  meaning,  that  it  cannot  be 
used  to  support  any  one  mode  of  administering  the  rite,  to  the 
prejudice  of  the  rest.     From  this,  therefore,  nothing  can  be 
proved  either  way.     We  apprehend,  however,  that  when  the 
preaching  of  the  Gospel  by  the  Apostles  produced  its  vast 
multitudes  of  converts,  the  nature  of  circumstances  would 
not  always  admit  of  other  Baptism  than  that  by  pouring  or 
sprinkling.     Rivers  or  lakes  could  not  always  be  resorted  to, 
on  the  spur  of  the  moment.     In  some  cases,  a  tedious  march, 
with  women  and  children,  over  a  considerable  tract  of  coun- 
try, might  have  been  necessary  before  a  sufficiency  of  water 
could  be  found  for  immersion.     It  is  unlikely,  too,  that  pro- 
per garments  could  in  all  cases  be  so  hastily  provided.     The 
rapidity  with  which  these  Baptisms  were  performed,  seems 
entirely  inconsistent  with  the  slow  process  of  immersion 
After  the  preaching  of  St.  Peter,  it  is  stated  that  3000  were 
baptized,  and  that  these  were  added  to  the  Church  in  one 
day.     Now  the   immersion  of  3000  persons  in  so  short  a 
time,  carries  with  it  so  great  an  air  of  improbability,  that  we 
must  be  excused,  if  we  suspect  that  some  more  rapid  mode 
was  adopted  for  their  Baptism.     Reflect  upon  this  one  mo- 


264  IMMERSION. 

ment : — Peter's  sermon  began,  (as  we  are  told,)  after  the 
third  hour  of  the  day ;  that  is,  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
His  addresses  occupied  a  considerable  time  ;  for,  besides  the 
sketch  given  in  the  Acts,  it  is  said  that  "  with  many  more 
words  he  exhorted  them," — which  are  not  recorded.  Now 
it  was  not  until  after  all  this,  that  the  Baptisms  began, — and 
the  time  remaining  to  the  evening,  could  scarcely  have  been 
more  than  eight  hours.  Dividing,  therefore,  the  3000  per- 
sons, there  would  be  375  to  receive  Baptism  in  each  of  those 
eight  hours, — a  number  so  great  that  it  is  difficult  to  imagine 
how  they  could  possibly  have  been  immersed. 

But  again  ;  in  the  case  of  the  jailor  at  Philippi,  we  have 
an  instance  of  a  whole  family,  suddenly  baptized,  and  this 
too  at  midnight.  The  whole  matter  was  transacted  in  a  very 
limited  time,  and  we  cannot,  without  violence,  bring  ourselves 
to  believe  in  the  reality  of  such  a  thing,  as  the  instant 
arousing  from  slumber  of  a  whole  family,  and  the  immediate 
plunging  of  them  in  the  cold  element  of  baptism  :  to  say 
nothing  of  the  improbability  of  there  being  on  the  spot,  and 
at  the  time,  a  sufficiency  of  pure  water,  and  suitable  vessels 
to  meet  the  emergency. 

Again  ;  we  know  that  the  sick  and  infirm  were  admitted 
to  Christian  baptism.  But  is  it  at  all  probable  that  these, 
when  feeble,  suffering,  and  prostrate,  would  be  denied  bap- 
tism, simply  on  the  ground  that  they  would  not  venture  an 
immersion,  which  common  reflection  told  them,  would  in  all 
likelihood  be  highly  dangerous,  if  not  fatal?  And  even  if  we 
should  grant  that  the  general  rule  was  immersion,  and  set 
down  all  these  cases  as  exceptions  ;  yet  we  are  entitled  to  the 
inference,  that  the  validity  of  the  other  modes  was  fairly 
established  and  recognized.  It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  in 
connection  with  the  narratives  or  notices  of  baptisms  in  the 
New  Testament,  there  is  nothing  whatever  said  about  the 
laying  aside  of  garments,  or  about  any  precautions  with  re- 
gard to  decency,  &c.,  on  the  part  of  the  candidates,  things 


IMMERSION.  265 

which  would  naturally  have  been  alluded  to,  if  those  bap. 
tisms  had  uniformly  been  by  immersion*  In  the  case  of  the 
3000  who  were  baptized  on  one  day,  the  circumstances  of 
their  sudden  preparation  for  the  rite — their  disrobing — the  in- 
dispensable  arrangements  for  the  preservation  of  decency,  and 
the  resuming  of  their  ordinary  clothing  after  the  ceremony, 
would  have  given  a  character  to  the  whole  scene  which  could 
not  but  have  been  touched  upon  by  the  sacred  writer.  And 
yet  not  a  word  is  said  concerning  these  necessary  accompani- 
ments of  immersion.  "  When  our  Lord  washed  the  feet  of 
his  disciples,  unimportant  as  the  transaction  was,  it  is  record- 
ed that  he  laid  aside  his  garment.*'  But  here,  in  a  matter  of 
far  greater  magnitude,  the  Evangelist  is  silent,  and  we  are 
forcibly  led  to  the  conclusion  that  the  circumstances  we  have 
alluded  to  did  not  occur,  the  mode  of  baptism  used  on  the 
occasion  not  requiring  them. 

By  those  who  deny  the  validity  of  pouring  or  sprinkling, 
much  weight  is  laid  on  those  words  of  St.  Mark,  (i.  9,) 
"Jesus  *  *  *  *  was  baptized  of  John  in  Jordan."  From  this 
it  is  inferred,  that  our  Lord,  at  his  baptism,  actually  went 
down  into  the  waters  of  the  Jordan,  and  there  received  the 
rite  by  immersion.  As  to  the  latter, — it  does  not  follow  that 
a  person  baptized  at  a  river,  must  necessarily  be  immersed. 
The  circumstances  are  equally  favorable  for  any  of  the  other 
modes,  and  if  there  is  ho  direct  statement  relative  to  the  mode 
adopted,  no  conclusion  can  legitimately  be  drawn  for  one  to 
the  disparagement  of  the  rest.  The  reasoning  on  the  former 
point  is  equally  unsound.  The  preposition  £\g  is  assumed  to 
bear  the  sense  of  " into''  as  a  general  rule  ;  and  thus  trans- 
lated, it  might  indeed  appear  that  Jesus  went  into  the  Jordan, 
though,  by  the  bye,  to  be  lajHized  into  a  river,  is  an  ex- 
pression  not  very  consistent  either  with  good  taste  or  sound 
orthodoxy.  The  preposition  sig,  on  the  contrary,  is  not  un- 
frequently  rendered  by  "m,"  "^o,"  "&?/»"  &c.  We  refer  to 
the  following  texts  as  examples.     Rom.  vi.  4  :  "  Even  so  wc 

23 


266  IMP 

also  should  walk  in  (not  into)  newness  of  life."  Acts  ii,  38  ; 
"Be  baptized  for  (not  into)  the  remission  of  sins."  Matt. 
xv.  24 :  "I  am  not  sent,  but  unto  (not  into)  the  lost  sheep," 
&c.  Acts  vii.  53 :  "  Who  have  received  the  law  by  the  dispo- 
sition  of  angels,"  (not  "mio  the  disposition,"  &c.)  From  a 
comparison  of  these  with  the  passage  in  question,  it  is  at 
least  doubtful  whether,  at  the  time  of  his  baptism,  our  Lord 
went  into  the  Jordan.  The  words  in  the  original  do  not 
assert  it ;  but  the  phrase  '•'  to  go  to, — to  be  baptized  in,  or  hy 
Jordan,"  is  "  as  proper  and  emphatical  (says  a  writer)  as  the 
other  rendering,  and  does  not  involve  the  immersion  of 
Christ." 

It  needs  only  to  be  added,  in  connection  with  these  hints 
from  Scripture,  that  affusion  and  sprinkling  were  certainly 
practised  in  very  early  days  of  the  Church  ;  and  that  by  de- 
grees,  as  Christianity  extended  itself  into  colder  climates,  where 
persons  were  liable  to  serious  injury  from  immersion,  these 
modes  were  very  generally  adopted  as  better  agreeing  with 
local  circumstances.  "  A  little  water  (says  St.  Cyprian)  can 
cleanse  the  believer  as  well  as  a  whole  river."  In  the  fourth 
and  fifth  centuries,  aspersion  or  sprinkling  was  common  in  the 
Church.  St.  Chrysostom,  for  example,  mentions  the  case  of 
several  young  women  being  baptized  by  aspersion.  This 
mode  has,  at  the  present  day,  become  almost  general.  The 
variations  of  climate,  with  the  manners  and  religious  habits 
of  modern  times,  seem  to  have  determined  its  prevalence 
among  most  classes  of  Christians.  We  have  seen  then,  that 
each  of  the  modes  of  Baptism  is  in  itself  lawful,  for  we  have 
every  reason  to  believe  that  they  are  as  old  as  the  days  of  the 
Apostles,  and  were  by  them  on  different  occasions  exercised. 

Immoveable  Feasts.  Those  holy-days  which  do  not  de- 
pend on  Easter,  but  are  permanently  fixed  to  set  days  of  the 
year.  Christmas,  and  all  the  Saints'  days,  with  some  others, 
are  of  this  character. 

Imparity.     A  difference  of  degree  or  rank,  as  in  the  Epis- 


INF  267 

copal  Ministry,  where  the  clergy  are  not  all  of  one  kind  or 
rank,  but  some  are  Bishops,  others  Priests,  and  others  Dea- 
cons, each  of  these  being  of  a  different  grade.  Were  they 
all  on  a  level,  in  regard  to  the  powers  committed  to  them, 
there  would  exist  a  parity  or  equaHty ;  but,  as  it  is,  their 
difference  of  grade  makes  an  imparity  or  inequality  among 
them,  such  as  is  described  in  the  New  Testament,  and  has 
always  existed  since  the  Church  of  Christ  was  first  estab- 
ished.     See  Parity. 

Imposition  of  hands.  A  religious  ceremony  of  very 
great  antiquity,  and  still  retained  in  the  Church,  as  the  ap- 
pointed  means  of  administering  Confirmation,  and  of  commu- 
nicating the  powers  of  the  Christian  Ministry.     See  Orders. 

Impropriation.  In  England,  an  impropriation  implies  the 
possession  and  employment,  by  a  layman,  of  the  revenues  of 
a  Church  or  ecclesiastical  benefice. 

Incarnation.     See  Christmas  day. 

Incumbent.  The  Rector,  Pastor,  or  stated  Minister,  of  a 
Church,  The  word  occurs  in  the  Prayer-book,  in  the  Office 
for  the  Institution  of  a  new  Minister  in  a  Church,  thus ; — 
"  The  day  being  appointed  for  the  new  Incumbent'' s  Institu- 
tion, at  the  usual  hour  of  Morning  Prayer,  the  Institutor, 
attended  by  the  new  Incumbent)"  &c., — that  is,  the  Minister 
who  is  about  to  receive  the  spiritual  care  of  the  Church. 

Induction.     See  Institution. 

Indulgences.     See  Pardons. 

Infant  baptism.  To  the  present  writer,  it  seems,  that  all 
controversy  respecting  the  baptism  of  infants,  might  be  re- 
duced to  the  simple  question,  Can  infants  be  made  mem- 
bers  of  Christ's  body — the  Church  ?  If  they  can,  then  they 
ought.  If  it  be  possible,  then  is  it  obligatory.  We  judge  so, 
on  the  simple  ground  that  the  blessings  of  Christianity  are 
designed  by  God  himself /or  all  who  are  capable  of  them,  and 
are  in  a  proper  disposition  for  receiving  them.  To  what  ex. 
tent  infants    may  be  the  subjects  of  spiritual  blessing,   we 


268  INFANT  BAPTISM. 

know  not ;  but  that  this  is  sufficient  to  remove  every  impedi- 
ment from  the  way  of  their  introduction  to  the  Church,  we 
have  the  assurance  of  our  Lord  himself,  in  the  direct  asser- 
tion "  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  From  this  it  fol- 
lows, that  they  are  capable  of,  and  fit  for,  at  least,  a  portion 
af  those  peculiar  blessings  which  are  called  spiritual ;  and 
as  these  blessings  are  conveyed  by  means  divinely  established 
in  the  Church,  the  result  is,  an  obligation  (of  no  slight  cha- 
racter)  to  employ  those  means  for  the  benefit  of  infants.  The 
neglect  of  this,  would  be  a  fraud  on  their  souls,  for  which  we 
should  be  justly  ansv/erable.* 

We  might  safely  leave  the  matter  here,  without  saying 
another  word.  But  the  testimony  of  3500  years  to  the  truth, 
that  infants  (equally  with  adults)  are  capable  of  Church- 
membership,  is  well  worth  considering,  especially  when  it  is 
borne  in  mind,  through  how  large  a  portion  of  that  time  the 
Church  was  under  the  direction  of  men  divinely  inspired — 
men,  who  never  failed  to  rebuke  error,  and  inculcate  truth. 

Let  us  take  a  rapid  review  of  the  facts  which  catch  the 
eye,  in  glancing  over  this  long  period. 

Under  the  covenant  made  with  Abraham.,  and  in  the  Jew- 
ish Church,  children  were  always  admitted  members  by  the 
rite  of  circumcision.  Infants,  therefore,  of  eight  days  old, 
were  declared  Jit  to  enter  into  covenant  with  God.  Now,  in 
this  relation,  haptisin  is,  in  the  Christian  Church,  precisely 
what  circumcision  was  in  the  Jewish.  If  then,  infants  were 
eligible  subjects  of  admission  to  the  Church  of  God  before 
the  coming  of  Christ  we  know  of  no  valid  reason  why  they 
should  not  be  equally  so  now ;  especially  when  we  take  into 
consideration  that  it  is  the  glory  of  the  Christian  dispensa- 
tion that  it  affords  blessings  and  privileges  far  more  abundant 


♦  This  argument  would  not  justify  infant  communion,  inasmuch  as  they 
are  incapable  of  doing  this  in  remembrance  of  Christ. 


INFANT  BAPTISM.  269 

than  were  enjoyed  in  the  Jewish  Church.  And,  most  clearly, 
there  is  not  to  be  found  in  Scripture,  the  least  intimation  of  a 
difference  having  been  made  between  the  two  dispensations, 
so  startling,  as  the  exclusion  of  infants  in  the  latter. 

When  families  of  proselytes  obtained  admission  into  the 
Jewish  Church,  it  was  by  means  of  circumcision  united  with 
baptism,  and  all  their  households  were  made  subjects  of 
these  rites.  Now,  Christian  baptism,  as  an  initiatory  rite, 
was  borrowed  from  this  Jewish  custom  ;  but  the  subjects  of 
it  were  never  changed.  There  is  no  limitation  of  it  to 
adults ;  and  indeed  had  such  been  the  case,  so  new  and  ex- 
traordinary a  procedure  would  have  been  the  cause  of  loud 
complaints  on  the  part  of  Christianized  Jews,  who,  before 
this,  had  never  doubted  the  eligibility  of  infants  for  Church, 
membership.  If  children,  then,  had  always,  from  the  days 
of  Abraham,  been  thus  received,  we  certainly  have  no  power 
to  reject  them,  inasmuch  as  there  is  given  to  us,  no  repeal  of 
the  law  which  authorizes  and  commands  their  admission. 

Again;  among  the  first  Christians,  multitudes  of  con. 
verted  Jews  still  retained  circumcision,  thus  showing  that 
they  yet  viewed  their  children  as  fit  members  of  the  Church. 
Paul  manifests  his  displeasure  at  their  adherence  to  the  par- 
ticular rite  of  circumcision,  but  utters  not  a  syllable  to  cau- 
tion  them  against  indulging  in  the  ancient  practice  of  receiv- 
ing children  into  Church-membership.  But  if  these  children 
were  circumcised,  it  is  almost  demonstrable  that  they  must 
also  have  had  Christian  baptism ;  for,  being  "  recognized  as 
having  a  right  to  Church-membership  by  their  circumcision, 
so  also,  they  must  necessarily  have  been  baptized  in  order  to 
ratify  and  confirm  that  right  in  the  Christian  Church ;  so  that 
the  many  thousands  of  children  who  were  circumcised  by 
their  parents,  after  they  embraced  Christianity,  are  so  many 
thousands  of  examples  of  infants  that  were  baptized.^^ 

Further :  If  the  children  of  Christian  parents  had  from 
necessity  to  wait  for  baptism  until  they  had  attained  adult 

23* 


270  INFANT  BAPTISM. 

age  there  would  thus  have  been  (in  immediate  contact  with 
the  Apostles)  a  great  number  of  young  people  in  the  inter- 
esting station  of  candidates  for  this  holy  rite.  But  though, 
in  the  Apostolical  Epistles,  we  observe  many  passages  in 
which  the  writers  express  their  affection  and  regard  for  chil- 
dren and  young  persons,  not  a  solitary  hint  is  given  which 
can  lead  us  to  believe  that  any  of  these  were  in  a  state  of 
preparation  for  haptism.  If  such  had  been  the  case,  there  is 
little  doubt  that  frequent  and  earnest  appeals  would  have 
been  made  to  encourage  them  to  enter  with  alacrity  and  re- 
soluteness upon  the  Christian  warfare.  Their  young  minds 
would  have  been  carefully  turned  to  the  solemnities  of  their 
coming  baptism,  and  their  parents  would  have  been  urged  to 
an  especial  degree  of  watchfulness  in  guiding  their  prepara- 
tory  exercises.  But,  in  the  total  absence  of  any  hint  to  this 
effect,  what  can  we  offer  as  a  solution,  unless  it  be  the  fact, 
that  there  was  no  such  class  of  young  unbaptized  persons — 
all  having  been  admitted  to  this  rite  in  their  infancy,  or 
when  their  parents  embraced  the  Gospel. 

That  infants  should  be  baptized,  appears  also  by  fair  de- 
duction, from  the  words  of  Christ  to  Nicodemus.  "  Except 
a  man  be  born  of  water  and  of  the  Spirit,  he  cannot  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  God."  Now  no  one  can  deny  that  this 
declaration  is,  in  its  nature,  universal,  and  there  is  no  other 
passage  of  Scripture  which  lays  it  under  limits.  Infants, 
therefore,  must  be  born  again.  But  this  new  birth  is  declared 
to  be  by  "water  and  the  Spirit."  Therefore  we  conclude 
that  they  are  proper  subjects  of  baptism.  It  is  indeed  some- 
times objected  that  faith  must,  in  all  cases,  precede  baptism, 
and  as  infants  cannot  exercise  this,  they  are  not  in  a  condi- 
tion to  receive  this  sacrament.  The  objection  in  plain  terms 
will  stand  thus  : — We  must  believe  before  we  can  be  baptized  ; 
but  infants  do  not  believe  ;  therefore  infants  ought  not  to  be 
baptized.  To  this  reasoning  we  may,  with  equal  plausibility, 
reply: — We  must  believe  before  we  can  be  saved;  but  in- 


INFANT   BAPTISM.  271 

fants  do  not  believe  ;  therefore,  infants  cannot  he  saved. 
This,  surely,  would  not  be  admitted  even  by  those  who  reject 
Infant  Baptism,  for  Christ  himself  has  said,  "  Suffer  the 
little  children  to  come  unto  me,  and  forbid  them  not,  for  of 
such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  It  appears  then  from  the 
passage  under  consideration,  and  also  from  that  just  quoted, 
that  children  may  be  admitted  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  And 
if  it  be  asserted  that  the  phrase,  "kingdom  of  heaven,"  re- 
fers to  the  Church  above,  and  not  to  the  visible  Church  on 
earth,  we  ask,  if  infants  may  be  admitted  to  the  greater,  why 
not  to  the  lesser?  If  a  child  can  obtain  an  entrance  into 
heaven  without  faith,  why  must  we  deny  that  child  admittance 
to  the  congregation  of  Christ's  flock  heloiu  under  the  same 
circumstances  ? 

But  it  is  alleged  that  there  is  no  j^ositive  command  for  the 
baptism  of  infants.  But  neither  is  there  any  such  command 
that  they  shall  not  be  baptized.  The  scripture  does  not  name 
any  specific  age  as  a  qualification  or  condition  of  baptism, 
nor  does  it  ever  assert  that  infancy  is  an  impediment  to  the 
reception  of  this  rite.  As  well  might  it  be  urged  that  we 
should  not  jprayfor  infants,  in  the  absence  of  a  positive  com- 
mand, as  that  we  should  not  baptize  them  in  similar  circum- 
stances.  The  truth  is,  that  the  commands  relative  to  the 
ordinances  of  Christianity  are  few  in  number,  much  being 
left  to  the  discernment,  the  sober  judgment,  and  plain  sense 
of  the  Church.  Some  of  the  most  manifest  duties  stand  in 
the  same  predicament,  being  only  alluded  to  inferentially, 
because  their  obligation  was  already  well  understood. 

Such  is  a  very  hasty  sketch  of  the  Scripture  argument  for 
Infant  Baptism,  an  imperfect  sketch,  we  are  aware,  but  yet, 
as  we  trust,  sufficient  for  our  main  purpose. 

As  we  promised,  at  the  outset,  to  be  brief,  our  limits  will 
not  allow,  neither  can  the  subject  require,  more  than  a  glance 
at  the  practice  of  the  Christian  Church.  This  will  be  shown 
by  a  few  quotations  from  ancient  writers,  testifying  to  the 


272  INFANT  BAPTISBI. 

existence  of  Infant  Baptism  from  the  very  time  of  the 
Apostles. 

Justin  Martyr,  who  lived  only  about  forty  years  after  the 
Apostles,  mentions  that  "  there  were  many  among  them,  who 
were  then  70  or  80  years  of  age,  who  had  been  made  disci- 
ples of  Christ  when  they  were  infants."  Now  as  infants  are 
incapable  o^  faith,  they  must  have  become  disciples  by  bap- 
tism, and  if  so,  their  age  shows  that  they  must  have  been 
baptized  while  the  Apostles  were  living.  Irenaeus,  who  lived 
about  60  or  70  years  after  the  Apostles,  reckons  children 
among  those  who  were  "  born  again  to  God."  Consequently, 
even  on  the  principles  of  those  who  reject  Infant  Baptism, 
they  were  certainly  fit  subjects  for  admission  into  the  Church 
on  earth.  And  if  the  phrase  is  used  to  denote  "  that  regene. 
ration  (or  change  of  state)  which  is  the  effect  of  baptism, 
this  becomes  a  plain  testimony  to  the  early  existence  of  the 
custom  of  baptizing  infants." 

After  these,  may  be  mentioned  Tertullian,  Origen,  St.  Cy. 
prian,  and  St.  Augustine,  who  speak  of  Infant  Baptism  with 
as  much  clearness  as  if  they  had  been  Bishops  and  divines 
of  the  nineteenth  century.  The  latter  "  declared  it  as  his 
opinion,  that  the  baptism  of  infants  had  been  established  by 
Divine  authority,  since  he  found  that  the  whole  Church  prac- 
tised it ;  that  it  was  not  instituted  by  any  council,  but  had 
always  been  retained,  and  therefore  must  be  believed  to  have 
been  delivered  to  the  Church  by  the  Apostles."  To  contend 
then,  that  in  the  first  ages  of  the  Church,  no  such  thing  pre- 
vailed, but  that  it  was  afterwards  introduced  by  some  design- 
ing persons,  is  to  cast  aside  very  strong  evidence,  and  to  cling 
alone  to  mere  conjecture.  So  bold  an  invention,  on  its  first 
appearance,  would  have  stirred  up  an  universal  clamor  in  the 
Church.  Its  novelty  would  have  provoked  general  discus- 
sion, as  we  well  know  less  important  matters  did,  and  con- 
troversies, violent  and  long,  would  have  been  the  natural  and 
sure   result.     Yet  ecclesiastical  historians  record  no  such 


INF  273 

event,  but  preserve  the  most  unbroken  silence.  The  con- 
clusion then,  so  far  as  we  can  see,  is,  that  from  the  time  of 
the  covenant  of  God  with  Abraham,  for  a  period  of  about 
three  thousand  Jive  hundred  years,  infants  were  never  denied 
admission  into  God's  Church,  but  were  always  received,  un- 
der the  former  dispensation,  by  circumcision ;  under  the  Chris- 
tian, by  ha.jJtism.  It  may  be  added  that,  at  the  present  day. 
Infant  Baptism  is  held  by  at  least  nineteen  twentieths  of  the 
whole  Christian  world.  [See  Jerram  on  Infant  Baptism,  to 
which  work  we  are  indebted  for  some  of  the  above  hints.] 

Inferior  orders.  In  the  ancient  Church,  the  three  or- 
ders of  the  Ministry,  as  established  by  Christ  and  his  Apos- 
tles, universally  prevailed.  But  besides  the  Bishops,  Priests, 
and  Deacons,  there  were,  in  most  of  the  Churches,  other 
ecclesiastical  persons  of  inferior  rank,  who  were  allowed  to 
take  part  in  the  ministrations  of  religion.  These  constituted 
what  are  called  the  Inferior  Orders,  and  in  some  of  the  ancient 
Canons,  they  have  the  name  of  "  Clergy." 

There  is  this  great  difference  between  the  three  Holy 
Orders,  and  the  other,  that  the.  former  are  every  where  men- 
tioned as  those  degrees  of  men  whose  ministrations  were 
known  and  distinguished,  and  without  which  no  Church  was 
looked  upon  as  complete  :  But  to  show  that  the  Inferior  Or- 
ders were  never  thought  to  be  necessary  in  the  same  degree, 
let  it  be  considered, 

1.  That  different  Churches,  or  the  same  Church  in  differ- 
ent ages,  had  more  or  fewer  of  the  Inferior  Orders.  In 
some  were  only  Readers ;  in  others,  Suh-deacons,  Exorcists, 
and  Acolyths.  The  Apostolic  Canons  mention  only  Sub-dea- 
cons, Readers,  and  Singers.  The  Laodicean  enumerates 
these,  and  also  Exorcists  and  Ostiaries.  But  while  there  was 
no  standing  rule  respecting  these  merely  ecclesiastical  orders, 
the  three  essential  grades  of  the  Ministry  were  found  in  all 
parts  of  the  Church. 

2.  In  reckoning  up  these  Inferior  Orders,  there  is  no  steady 


274 


INF 


series  to  be    observed,  whereas  tlie  three  Holy  Orders  of 
Bishops,  Priests,  and  Deacons,  are  invariable. 

3.  It  would  seem  that  any  one  of  the  Inferior  Orders  might 
perform  the  ministrations  of  the  rest,  which  is  not  the  case 
with  the  three  regular  orders. 

4.  Inferior  Orders  might  be  conferred  by  Priests,  while 
the  functions  of  the  Ministry  were  never  given  but  by 
Bishops. 

5.  In  the  time  of  Ignatius,  there  were  none  of  the  Inferior 
Orders  in  being,  whereas  Bishops,  Priests,  and  Deacons, 
occur  in  almost  every  page  in  his  Epistles  ;  therefore  these 
Inferior  Orders  could  not  be  of  Apostolical  institution,  as  the 
others  certainly  were. 

6.  They  were  called  Orders  only  in  a  loose  and  improper 
sense.  Sometimes  they  were  disciplined  as  laymen,  and  the 
greater  part  of  their  duties  were  such  as  a  layman  might 
perform. 

In  a  word,  none  of  them  have  been  in  all  Churches  and 
ages  ;  not  any  of  them  were  ever  thought  necessary  ;  nor  is 
there  any  ecclesiastical  minisJ;ration,  but  what  may  be  per- 
formed without  them  ;  and  they  were  clearly  of  human  insti- 
tution, and  may  be  laid  aside  by  human  authority.* 

"Infidels."  In  one  of  the  Collects  for  Good  Friday,  we 
pray,  that  the  benefits  of  the  atonement  which  we  then  com- 
memorate, may  be  extended  not  only  to  the  faithful,  but  to  all 
others,  embraced  under  the  four  heads  of  "Jews,  Turks,  In- 
fidels, and  Heretics."  The  term  Infidel  was  probably  de- 
signed to  embrace  all  classes  of  the  Heathen,  it  having  for- 
merly been  used  as  synonymous  with  "  pagan."  Custom 
has  now  assigned  to  it  the  general  meaning  of  "  unbeliever  ;  " 
and  taken  in  this  sense,  there  is  a  striking  gradation  in  the 
terms  of  the  prayer.     Jews  first,  as  being  a  people  distin- 


Johnson  on  the  Canonical  Codes. 


INS  275 

guished  by  revelation,  and  for  whom  many  and  groat  pro- 
mises are  in  reserve.  2.  Mohammedans,  who,  though  far  in. 
ferior  to  the  Jew,  in  the  amount  of  truth  embraced  in  their 
system,  yet  still  acknowledge  the  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac, 
and  Jacob.  3.  Infidels,  whose  creed  being  a  mere  negation, 
is  ipso  facto  inferior  to  the  former.  And  4.  Heretics,  who 
not  only  deny  the  truth,  like  the  latter,  but  also  substitute 
pestilent  and  Anti-Christian  errors  in  its  place.   1  Tim.  v.  8. 

Initiated.  In  the  early  ages  of  the  Church,  this  term  was 
applied  to  those  who  had  been  baptized,  and  admitted  to  a 
knowledge  of  the  higher  mysteries  of  the  Gospel.  The  dis- 
cipline of  the  Church  at  that  period,  made  it  necessary  that 
candidates  for  baptism  should  pass  through  a  long  probation, 
in  the  character  of  Catechumens.  While  in  this  preparatory 
state,  they  were  not  allowed  to  be  present  at  the  celebration 
of  the  Eucharist ;  and  in  sermons  and  Homilies  in  their 
presence,  the  speaker  either  waived  altogether  any  direct 
statement  of  the  sublimer  doctrines  of  Christianity,  or  alluded 
to  them  in  an  obscure  manner,  not  intelligible  to  the  unini- 
tiated, but  sufficiently  clear  to  be  interpreted  by  those  for 
whom  they  were  intended,  viz  : — the  baptized  or  initiated. 
Hence  the  phrase  so  common  in  the  homilies  of  the  Fathers, 
"  the  initiated  understand  what  is  said." 

Innocents'  day.  One  of  the  holy-days  of  the  Church. 
Its  design  is  to  commemorate  one  of  the  most  thrilling  events 
in  the  Gospel  history.  "  The  Innocents  were  they  who  suf- 
fered death  under  the  cruel  decree  of  Herod,  who  thought, 
by  a  general  slaughter  of  young  children,  to  have  accom- 
plished  the  death  of  the  infant  Jesus.  They  are  so  called 
from  the  Latin  term  innocentes  or  innocui,  harmless  babes, 
altogether  incapable  of  defending  themselves  from  the  malice 
of  their  inhuman  persecutors.  The  celebration  of  the  mar- 
tyrdom of  these  innocents  was  very  ancient.  It  occurs  on 
the  28th  of  December." 

Inspiration.      That  extraordinary  and  supernatural  in- 


276  INS 

fluence  of  the  Spirit  of  God  on  the  human  mind,  by  which 
the  prophets  and  sacred  writers  were  qualified  to  receive  and 
set  forth  divine  communications,  without  any  mixture  of 
error.  In  this  sense  the  term  occurs  in  2  Tim.  iii.  16.  "  All 
scripture  is  given  by  inspiration  of  God,"  &c. 

The  word  inspiration  also  expresses  that  ordinary  opera- 
tion of  the  Spirit,  by  which  men  are  inwardly  moved  and  ex- 
cited both  to  will  and  to  do  such  things  as  are  pleasing  to 
God,  and  through  which  all  the  powers  of  their  minds  are 
elevated,  purified,  and  invigorated.  "  There  is  a  spirit  in 
man  ;  and  the  inspiration  of  the  Almighty  giveth  them  under- 
standing."  Job  xxxii.  8.  In  this  latter  sense  the  term  and 
its   kindred  verb  frequently  appear  in   the   Offices  of  the 

Church ;  as  in  the  petitions,  " grant,  that  by  thy  holy 

inspiration  we  may  think  those  things   that  are  good  ;  "  * 

« cleanse  the  thoughts  of  our  hearts  by  the  inspiration 

of  thy  holy  Spirit ;  "  f  " beseeching  thee  to  inspire  con- 
tinually the  Universal  Church  with  the  spirit  of  truth,  unity, 
and  concord  ;  "  :j:  and, 

"  Come,  Holy  Ghost,  our  souls  inspire, 
And  lighten  with  celestial  fire.''  § 

"  Visit  our  minds,  into  our  hearts 
Thy  heavenly  grace  inspire."  § 

Installation.  The  act  of  conferring  an  office  or  dignity, 
or  investing  a  person  with  the  powers  appertaining  to  such 
an  office.  In  the  Church  of  England,  the  word  is  chiefly 
used  for  the  induction  of  a  Dean,  Prebendary,  or  other  ec- 
clesiastical dignitary,  into  the  possession  of  his  stall  or  other 
proper  seat,  in  the  cathedral  to  which  he  belongs. 


*  Collect  for  5th  Sunday  after  Easter, 
t  1st  Collect  in  Communion  OfSce. 
t  Prayer  for  Christ's  Church  militant. 
§  Ordering  of  Priests. 


INSTITtJTiON.  ^77 

Institution.  The  act  of  conferring  upon  a  Minister  the 
spiritual  charge  of  a  parish  or  church,  by  a  public  service 
adapted  to  the  occasion. 

The  39th  General  Canon  provides,  that  on  the  election  of 
a  Minister  to  such  a  charge,  the  Vestry  shall  give  notice  to 
that  effect  to  thi-  Bishop,  or  where  there  is  no  Bishop,  to  the 
Standing  Committee  of  the  Diocese,  in  a  form  set  forth  in 
section  1st  of  the  Canon.  Inquiry  is  then  made  as  to  the 
sufficiency  of  the  person  so  chosen,  and  on  a  decision  in  his 
favor,  his  election  is  recorded  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Con- 
vention, and  his  Institution  may  take  place  according  to  the 
form  appointed  in  the  Prayer-book. 

In  the  American  Church,  the  Offices  of  Institution  and 
Induction  are  blended  into  one  service  ;  but  in  the  Church 
of  England  they  are  kept  distinct.  By  Institution  proper, 
the  spiritual  charge  of  a  Church  is  conferred  ;  while  by 
Induction,  a  right  is  give"h  to  the  temporalities  of  a  living. 
According  to  the  usages  of  the  Church  of  England,  Induction 
is  performed  by  the  "  Inductor  laying  the  hand  of  the  Clergy- 
man upon  the  key  of  the  Church. door,  pronouncing  at  the 
same  time  a  short  legal  formula,  and  thus  letting  him  into  the 
Church,  where  he  signifies  his  corporal  possession  by  tolling 
a  bell."* 

The  following  anecdote  in  the  life  of  Herbert,  may  illus- 
trate this  ceremony.  "  When  at  his  Induction,  he  was  shut 
into  Bemerton  Church,  being  left  there  alone  to  toll  the  bell, 
(as  the  law  requires  him,)  he  stayed  so  much  longer  than  an 
ordinary  time  before  he  returned  to  those  friends  that  stayed 
expecting  him  at  the  Church-door,  that  his  friend,  Mr.  Wood- 
not,  looked  in  at  the  Church-window,  and  saw  him  lie  pros-. 
Irate  on  the  ground  before  the  altar  :  at  which  time  and  place, 
(as  he  after  told  Mr.  Woodnot,)  he  set  some  rules  to  himself, 


*  British  Magazine,  1837,  p.  643. 
24 


278  INT 

for  the  future  manage  of  his  life  ;  and  then  and  there  made 
a  vow  to  labor  to  keep  them."* 

Institution,  Letter  of.  On  the  election  of  a  Clergyman 
to  the  charge  of  a  parish,  and  the  approval  of  the  same 
by  the  ecclesiastical  authority  of  the  Diocese,  the  Bishop 
transmits  to  the  Presbyter  who  shall  perform  the  Office  of 
Institution,  a  letter  authorizing  and  licensing  the  pastor  elect 
to  exercise  his  sacred  functions  in  the  Church  to  which  he  is 
elected.  This  Letter  of  Institution  is  read  in  the  presence 
of  the  congregation,  near  the  beginning  of  the  appointed 
Office  of  Institution. 

Institutor.  a  Presbyter  appointed  by  the  Bishop  to 
Institute  a  Clergyman  as  Rector  or  Assistant  Minister  in  a 
Parish.  Where  there  is  no  Bishop,  the  appointment  may  be 
made  by  the  Clerical  members  of  the  Standing  Committee. 

Intercessions.  That  part  of  the  Litany  in  which,  having 
already  prayed  for  ourselves,  we  now  proceed  to  supplicate 
God's  mercy  for  others.  The  Intercessions  are  accompanied 
by  the  response,  "  We  beseech  thee  to  hear  us,  good  Lord." 
See  Litany. 

Intercessor.  One  who  pleads  in  behalf  of  another. 
The  title  is  applied  emphatically  to  Jesus  Christ,  "  who  ever 
liveth  to  make  intercession  for  us."  The  practice  of  the 
Romanists  in  investing  angels  and  departed  saints  with  the 
character  of  intercessors,  is  n  jected  by  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church,  as  resting  on  no  Scriptural  authority,  besides 
.being  derogatory  to  the  dignity  of  our  Redeemer. 

Interdict.  In  the  Church  of  Rome,  an  ecclesiastical 
censure,  forbidding  the  performance  of  divine  offices  in  a 
kingdom,  province,  town,  &c.  "  This  censure  has  been  fre- 
quently executed  in  France,  Italy,  and  Germany  ;  and  in  the 
year  1170,  Pope  Alexander  III.  put  all  England  under  an 


*  Walton's  Lives,  p.  319. 


INV  279 

interdict,  forbidding  the  Clergy  to  perform  any  part  of  divine 
service,  except  baptizing  of  infants,  taking  Confessions,  and 
giving  Absolution  to  dying  penitents.  But  this  censure  being 
liable  to  the  ill  consequences  of  promoting  libertinism  and  a 
neglect  of  religion,  the  succeeding  Popes  have  very  seldom 
made  use  of  it." 

Interludes.  Before  the  Reformation,  this  word  had 
reference  to  certain  theatrical  entertainments,  connected 
with  sacred  subjects,  which  the  gross  corruption  of  the  times 
permitted  to  be  performed  even  within  the  walls  of  conse- 
crated places. 

At  the  present  day,  it  is  applied  to  those  musical  strains  or 
performances  which  are  played  on  the  organ,  &c.,  between 
the  verses  of  metre  psalms  and  hymns. 

Intermediate  state.     See  Hell,  Descent  into. 

Introit.  In  the  ancient  Church,  (and  also  in  the  Church 
of  England  so  late  as  the  reign  of  Edward  VI.,)  a  Psalm 
was  always  sung  or  chanted  immediately  before  the  Collect, 
Epistle,  and  Gospel,  As  this  took  place  while  the  Priest  was 
entering  within  the  rails  of  the  altar,  it  acquired  the  name  of 
httroitus  or  Introit,  This  part  of  the  Liturgy  is  now  reject- 
ed, and  the  vacant  place  supplied  by  a  metre  psalm  selected 
at  the  discretion  of  the  Minister. 

Invention  of  the  Cross.     See  Cross,  Invention  of  the. 

Invitatory.  "  In  the  service  of  the  Western  Church 
before  the  Reformation,  the  invitatory  was  commonly  some 
select  passage  or  text  of  Scripture,  generally  adapted  to  the 
day,  and  used  immediately  before  and  during  the  repetition 
of  the  venite.  The  invitatory  at  certain  closes  and  periods 
of  the  psalm,  was  of  old,  and  still  is  in  the  Romish  Church, 
repeated  nine  limes  during  the  singing  of  the  psalm."  * 

Invocation  of  Saints.  The  act  of  appealing,  in  devotional 
exercises,  to  the   spirits  of  saints  departed,  with  a  view  of 

♦  Shepherd. 


280 


INW 


securing  their  aid  and  intercession.  This  custom,  so  preva- 
lent in  the  Romish  Church,  is  declared  in  our  22d  Article  to 
be  "a  fond  thing  vainly  invented,  and  grounded  upon  no  war- 
ranty of  Scripture,  but  rather  repugnant  to  the  Word  of  God." 
Invocations.  The  solemn  appeal  to  the  mercy  of  God, 
Avith  which  the  Litany  opens.  In  this,  there  is  a  separate 
invocation  of  each  of  the  Persons  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  and 
then  an  invocation  of  the  whole  Godhead,  Father,  Son,  and 
Holy  Ghost.  Every  part  of  this  is  to  be  devoutly  repeated 
by  the  people,  after  the  Minister,  that  each  for  himself  may 
claim  the  ear  of  a  merciful  God,  and  be  blessed  with  the 
answer  of  all  those  petitions,  which,  in  the  following  parts  of 
the  Litany,  the  Minister  is  about  to  present  at  His  throne. 

"Inwardly  digest."  This  expression  occurs  in  the  Col- 
lect for  the  2i  Sunday  in  Advent,  in  which  we  pray  that  we 
may  "read,  mark,  learn,  and  inwardly  digest^  those  Holy 
Scriptures  which  God  has  caused  "to  be  written^  for  our 
learning."  It  is  not  enough  that  we  merely  rmd  them,  for 
this  may  be  done  even^  by  the  ungodl-y;  but  we  should  also 
mark  or  particularly  notice  wh^t  we  have  read,  in  order  that 
we  may  gain  wisdom  from  the  exercise,  and  thus  Jearyi  the 
tmths  which  Uol  has  revealed.  Eut  this  is  not  all,  for  God's 
word  is  to  the  soul,  what  food  is  to  the  body.  And,  as  natural 
food  does  not  benefit  the  body  until  it  is  digested,  so  divine 
truth  or  spiritual  food  is  useless  without  meditation  and  prayer. 
Therefore  we  pray  that,  by  the  help  of  God,  we  may  not  only 
ham  the  truths  of  the  Bible,  but  may  also  "  invmrdly  digest'' 
them,  by  frequently  reflecting  and  meditating  upon  them,  that 
our  souls  may  thus  be  nourished,  and  daily  grow  in  grace. 
Beautifully  does  the  Psalmist  describe  such  a  person,  as  one 
who — 

" makes  the  perfect  law  of  God 

His  busine-s  and  delight ; 

Devoutly  reads  therein  by  day^ 
And  meditates  by  night=*'' 


281 


J. 


St.  James's  day.  The  day  on  which  the  Church  cele- 
brates the  memory  of  the  Apostle  James  the  Great,  or  the 
Elder.  He  was  one  of  the  sons  of  Zebedee,  and  brother  of 
St.  John.  It  does  not  appear  that  he  ever  exercised  his 
ministry  out  of  Judea.  His  martyrdom  occurred  at  an  early 
date,  Herod  having  "stretched  forth  his  hands  to  vex  certain 
of  the  Church,  and  killed  James  the  brother  of  John  with 
the  sword."  He  was  the  first  of  the  Apostles  that  suffered 
martyrdom. 

Jesus,  bowing  at  the  name  of.  See  Bowing  at  the 
name,  &c, 

St.  John  Baptist's  day.  The  day  on  which  the  Church 
celebrates  the  birth  of  John  Baptist.  It  will  be  observed, 
that  whereas  other  festivals  are  celebrated  on  the  supposed 
day  of  the  saint's  death,l\i\s  is  appointed  for  that  of  St  John's 
nalivity,  the  only  one,  except  that  of  our  blessed  Savior,  for 
which  the  Church  assembles  with  thanksgiving.  The  cir- 
cumstances and  design  of  his  birth  were  so  full  of  signifi- 
cance and  so  wonderful,  that  this  in  a  peculiar  manner  claims 
our  praise  to  God. 

"Though  this  Saint  laid  down  his  life  for  the  truth  of  his 
preaching;  yet  he  was  not  a  Christian  martyr,  as  our  Savior's 
Apostbs  were,  who  suffered  in  testimony  of  the  Gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ. 

His  memory,  however,  is  celebrated  by  the  Christian 
Church,  because  he  was  the  forerunner  of  our  blessed  Lord, 
and  by  preaching  the  doctrine  of  repentance,  paved  the  way 
for  publishing  the  Gospel." 

There  was  formerly  another  day  set  apart  in  commemo- 
ration of  the  martyrdom  of  John;  but  this  is  no  longer 
observed. 

24* 


282  JUB 

St.  John-  the  Evangelist's  day.  The  day  appointed  for 
the  commemoration  of  "the  belov.  d  disciple." 

"St  John  the  Evangelist  (so  called  from  the  Greek  term 
which  signifies  the  messenger  of  glad  tidings,)  was  a  Galilean 
by  birth,  the  son  of  Zebedee  and  Salome,  the  younger  brother 
of  James,  but  not  of  him  who  was  surnamed  the  Just,  and 
who  was  the  brother  of  our  Lord,  His  brother  James  and 
he  were  surnamrd  by  Jesus,  the  Sons  of  Thunder,  for  their 
peculiar  zeal  and  fervency  for  his  honor,  which  we  see 
manifested  in  St.  John's  sedulous  assertions  of  our  Lord's 
divinity.  He  was  the  most  beloved  by  our  Savior  of  all  the 
disciples." 

St.  John  exercised  his  ministry  in  Asia  Minor  ;  and  having 
excited  enemies  through  preaching  the  doctrines  of  Christ, 
was  carried  prisoner  from  Ephesus  to  Rome,  in  the  year 
92.  Subsequently  to  this  he  was  banished  to  the  Isle  of  Pat- 
mos,  where  he  wrote  his  Revelation.  He  was  afterwards 
recalled  from  his  exile  by  Nero  the  Emperor,  and  then  re- 
turned to  Ephesus.  His  three  Epistles  were  written  with  a 
reference  to  some  prevailing  heresies  of  the  times;  and  the 
scope  of  his  Gospel,  which  was  his  last  work,  shows  that  the 
Apostle  had  in  view  the  same  deniers  of  the  divinity  of  the 
Savior.  He  survived  till  the  reign  of  Trajan,  and  died  at  the 
age  of  nearly  one  hundred  years. 

St.  John  the  Evangelist's  day  is  on  the  27th  of  December. 

JosHUE.  The  book  of  Joshua.  See  the  catalogue  of 
books  of  Scripture  in  the  6th  Article. 

Journal  of  Convention.  A  book  or  pamphlet  in  which 
are  recordi^d  the  proceedings  of  an  Ecclesiastical  Convention, 
together  with  the  Address  of  the  Bishop,  and  an  account  of 
the  state  of  the  Church.     See  Convention. 

Jubilate  Deo.  ("  O  be  joyful  in  God.")  One  of  the 
Psalms  appointed  to  be  used  alter  the  second  Lesson  in  the 
Morning  Service.  It  is  the  same  with  the  100th  Psalm  in 
the  Psalter. 


JURE    DIVINO.  283 

"Jure  divino."  By  divine  right: — an  expression  fre- 
quently occurring-  in  controversial  writings,  especially  in  re- 
lation to  the  Ministry  of  the  Church. 

It  is  evident,  and  generally  confessed,  that  the  right  to  min- 
ister in  holy  things  is  not  in  every  man's  power.  If  it  were 
so,  the  very  idea  of  the  Ministry,  as  a  distinct  class  of  men, 
empowered  to  act  "in  Christ's  stead,"  would  be  broken  up,, 
and  the  Church  would  lose  its  character  as  a  society,  for  that 
implies  the  existence  of  officers,  and  of  subordination.  It  is 
also  confessed,  that  in  the  Christian  Chuich,  men  are  not  horn 
to  the  Ministry,  as  they  were  under  the  Jewish  dispensation. 
Whence  then  comes  that  authority  with  which  the  ambassador 
of  Christ  is  invested?  Is  it  human  ?  Can  any  body  of  men 
confer  the  power  to  rule  and  minister  in  a  society,  the  full 
con  rol  of  which  is  in  the  hands  of  the  Eternal  God  ?  Most 
evidently  not.  Human  'power,  ar  a  commission  derived  from 
human  sources,  is  as  void  and  inadequate  in  qualifying  for  the 
functions  of  the  Ministry,  as  it  would  be  in  the  attempt  to 
create  a  world,  or  to  found  a  new  rank  in  the  hierarchy  of 
heaven.  Wc  are  driven  then,  at  once,  to  the  divine  institution 
as  the  foundation  of  all  legitimate  power  in  the  Church. 

The  Head  of  the  Church  established  a  Ministry,  with  the 
right  and  ability  to  execute  all  its  appointed  functions.  It 
was  not  intellectual  eminence,  or  high  station,  or  influence, 
wealth,  courage,  or  any  other  human  attribute,  which  brought 
into  being  "the  glorious  company  of  the  Apostles;"  but  it 
was  the  sovereign  power  alone  of  Him  "in  whom  dwelt  all 
the  fullness  of  the  Godhead  bodily."  And  was  this  power  to 
be  recalled  on  the  demise  of  those  who  were  every  daj^ 
doomed  to  stripes,  imprisonments,  perils,  and  death  in  a  thou- 
sand shapes?  No  ;  for  either  the  Church  of  the  future  must 
fail, — the  sacraments  be  obliterated, — the  "watching  for 
souls"  be  abolished, — or  the  continuation  of  the  sacrfd  Min- 
istry must  be  demanded,  with  all  its  original  spiritual  func- 
tions.    To  the  Apostles,  therefore,  was  given,  (jure  divine) 


284  JUR 

and  to  them  alone,  the  ability  to  perpetuate  or  transmit  the 
gift  which  the  Redeemer  had  bestowed.  From  them  the 
prerogatives  of  the  episcopacy,  (or  apostolate,)  were  commu- 
nicated to  younger  men,  including  the  transmissive  or  or- 
daining faculty.  Under  these,  the  Elders  and  Deacons  were 
put  in  trust  with  a  share  of  the  original  grant  of  ministerial 
power, — a  power  they  were  themselves  incapable  of  delega- 
ting :  and  by  an  unbroken  succession,  in  the  line  of  Bishops, 
the  divine  commission  has  reached  these  latter  days  of  the 
Church. 

If  then,  as  we  have  shown,  divine  W^A^  is  the  only  foundation 
on  which  the  Ministry  can  stand,  there  is  no  alternative  left 
to  any  one  claiming  office  in  the  Church  of  God,  but  to  vin- 
dicate the  legality  of  his  mission  by  miracle,  or  some  other 
tangible  divine  verification,  which  no  man  can  dispute  ;  or 
else,  to  bring  forth  such  credentials  as  Timothy,  Titus,  and 
the  Ministers  ordained  by  them,  had  to  show,  viz  — the  sim- 
ple evidence  of  the  fact,  that  the  Apostles,  or  their  successors, 
had  imparted  to  them  the  authority  they  claim  to  possess. 
This  every  Bishop,  Priest,  and  Deacon  in  the  Episcopal 
Church,  is  prepared  to  do.  See  Episcopacy  and  uninter- 
rupted Succession. 

Jurisdiction.  The  power  and  authority  vested  in  a 
Bishop,  by  virtue  of  the  Apostolical  commission,  of  govern- 
ing and  administering  the  laws  of  the  Church  within  the 
bounds  of  his  Diocese.  The  same  term  is  used  to  express 
the  bounds  within  which  a  Bishop  exercises  his  power,  i.  e., 
his  Diocese. 


KIN  285 


Keys,  Pouter  of  the.  The  authority  existinor  in  the  Chris- 
tian Priesthood,  of  administering  the  discipline  of  the  Church, 
and  communicatingr  or  withholding  its  privileges,  so  called 
from  the  declaration  of  Christ  to  Peter,  Matt.  xvi.  19.  "And 
I  will  give  unto  thee  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  : 
and  whatsoever  thou  shall  bind  on  earth,  shall  be  bound  in 
heaven  ;  and  whatsoever  thou  shall  loose  on  earth,  shall  be 
loosed  in  heaven "  The  power  here  promised,  was  after- 
wards conferred  on  Peter  and  the  other  Apostles,  whf>n  the 
Savior  breathed  on  them,  and  said,  "Receive  ye  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Whose-soever  sins  ye  remit,  they  are  remitted  unto 
them;  and  whose-soever  sins  ye  retain,  they  are  retained.'' 
John,  XX.  22-23. 

In  the  Scriptures,  keys  are  emblematical  of  power  and 
government;  "for  he  who  has  the  power  of  opening  and 
shutting  a  house,  that  is,  of  admitting  into  it,  and  excluding 
from  it,  has  undoubtedly  the  government  of  that  house.  In 
this  sense  the  word  is  used  in  Isaiah,  xxii.  22;  and  Rev.  iii.  7. 
There  can  therelore  be  no  doubt,  hut  tK<»t  by  the  keys  of  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  which  Christ  promised  to  Peter,  was 
meant  the  government  of  his  Church.  "Whatsoever  thou 
shall  bind  on  earth,  shall  be  bound  ir.  heaven;  and  whatsoever 
thou  shall  loose  on  earth,  shall  be  loosed  in  heaven,"  must 
relate  to  the  use  of  the  keys,  the  government  of  the  Church, 
and  must  mean,  whatever  act  of  authority  thou  shall  duly 
execute  in  my  Church,  in  consequence  of  that  power  which 
shall  be  committed  to  thee,  shall  be  ratified  in  heaven;  God 
will  confirm  it."  *  See  Dr  Hammond's  tract  "Of  the  Power 
of  the  Keys;"  also  the  article  Absolution. 

"  Kindly."     Natural,  usual,  according  to  kind,  or  in  agree- 


Bishop  Seaburj^'s  Sermons.     1.  pp.  71.  72. 


286  KYR 

merit  with  constitution  ;  as  "the  kindly  fruits  of  the  earth  ;" 
i.  e.,  the  fruits  which  the  earth  naturally  produces.  Wiclif 
remarks,  "  We  see  that  all  things  kindly  [naturally]  after 
travail  seek  rest.  God  in  six  days  made  heaven  and  earth, 
and  all  things  within  them,  and  rested  on  the  seventh  day." 
Again:  "Since  kind  [nature,  natural  affection]  teaches  the 
sinful  to  give  goods  to  their  children,  how  much  more  will 
God,  author  of  goodness  and  charity,  give  spiritual  goods, 
profitable  to  the  soul,  to  his  children  whom  he  loves  so  much." 

"Kinds,  both."     See  "Both  kinds." 

"KxAppETH."  An  obsolete  word  occurring  in  Psalm  xlvi. 
9th  verse,  Prayer-book  version,  thus,  "  He  breaketh  the  bow, 
2inA  knaf'pelh  \,\\e.  spear  in  sunder;"  that  is,  "he  snaps  (or 
breaks)  the  spear  in  pieces.  In  the  Bible  translation  it  reads, 
"he  cutteth  the  spear  in  sunder." 

Kneeling.  The  posture  which  the  Church  prescribes  in 
prayers,  acts  oi  confession,  &c.  This  attitude  is  strikingly 
expressive  of  humility,  and  appropriate  to  the  solemn  offices 
in  which  it  is  used.  It  is  vindicated  by  the  example  of  our 
Redeemer,  and  the  practice  of  many  eminent  saints  in  both 
the  Old  and  New  Teetament.  Under  this  high  authorify, 
connected  with  the  jo<xoorta.tlonoes  of  the  thing  itself,  and  the 
venerable  antiquity  of  the  custom,  it  is  with  evident  propriety 
adopted  by  the  Church,  as  the  most  becoming  and  reverential 
posture  in  which  our  supplications  can  be  offered.  Respecting 
kneeling  at  the  Communion,  an  objection  is  answered  in  the 
article  Adoratiov,  which  see. 

Knell.    A  bell  tolled  at  funerals.    See  also  Passing  Bell. 

Kyrie  eleison.  The  Greek  of  "Lord  have  mercy"  upon 
us  This  earnest  and  pathetic  appeal  of  the  penitent  heart 
has,  from  the  Apostolic  age,  been  freely  incorporated  into  the 
Liturgies  of  the  Church  In  our  own,  it  is  of  frequent  oc- 
currence— so  frequent  indeed,  that  exceptions  have  sometimes 
been  taken  to  our  forms  as  tinctured  with  an  overabundant 
sorrow  and  self-abasement,  for  those  who  are  called  to  be  the 


LATI  287 

sons  of  God.  The  fault,  however,  is  fortunately  on  the  right 
side  ;  and,  as  Bishop  Sparrow  remarks,  on  the  Kyrie  between 
the  commandments,  "if  there  be  any  that  think  this  might 
have  been  spared,  as  being  filter  for  poor  Publicans  than 
Saints,  let  them  turn  to  the  Parable  of  the  Publican  and 
Pharisee  J?oing  up  to  the  Temple  to  pray,  St.  Luke,  xviii.,  and 
there  they  shall  receive  an  answer."  * 


L.. 

Laic,  n.     A  layman. 

Laic,  or  Laical,  a.     Pertaining  to  the  Laity,  or  people, 
as  distinguished  from  the  Clergy. 

Laity.     The  people  of  a  congregation  or  Church,  as  dis- 
tinguished from  those  who  are  ordained  to  the  Ministry. 

Lambeth  articles.     See  Articles,  Lambeth. 

Lammas-day.  A  festival  of  the  Romish  Church,  other- 
wise called  St.  Peter's  chains,  or  St  Peter  in  the  fetters,  in 
memory  of  the  imprisonment  of  that  Apostle.  Two  deriva- 
tions have  been  given  of  the  name  Lammas.  1st.  The  lite- 
ral srnse,  arising  from  a  ludicrous  notion  of  the  vulgar,  "that 
St  Peter  was  patron  of  the  Lambs,  from  our  Savior's  words 
to  him,  'Feed  my  lambs.'  "  f  2.  From  a  Saxon  word  mean- 
ing ''Loaf-mass^'  it  having  been  the  cus'om  of  the  Saxons  to 
offer  on  this  day  [August  1]  an  oblation  of  loaves  made  of 
new  wheat,  as  the  first  fruits  of  their  new  corn  "  f 

"Laudable  service.''  This  expression  occurs  in  the 
Collect  for  the  13th  Sunday  after  Trinity,  thus—"  Almighty 
and  merciful  God,  of  whose  only  gift  it  cometh  that  thy  faith- 
ful people  do  unto  thee  true  and  laudable  service,^'  &c.     By 


Bishop  Sparrow's  Rationale,  p.  209.  t  Wheutly. 


1S88  LAY 

this  we  are  not  to  understand  that  there  is  any  real  merit  or 
valw.  in  our  good  works,  so  that  God  ought  in  justice  to  re- 
ward  us  for  them  ;  for  this  would  be  wholly  contrary  to  the 
doctrine  of  Scripture  and  the  Church.  But  yet,  it  is  possible 
for  all  Christians  to  render  to  God  a  service  which  shall  be 
pleasing  to  him;  and  by  living  "soberly,  righteously,  and 
godly  in  this  present  world,"  to  obtain,  in  the  end,  those 
promises  which  he  has  made  to  all  his  faithful  people.  Chris- 
tians who  thus  live,  render  to  God  a  "  laudable  service," — 
and  therefore,  in  the  Visitation  of  the  Sick,  the  Minister 
prays  fjr  them,  that  "  their  faith  may  be  found,  in  the  day  of 
the  Lord,  laudable,  glorious,  and  honorable,"  &;c.  But  yet,  in 
all  this,  we  are  taught  by  the  Church,  that  of  ourselves  we  can 
do  nothing,  for,  says  the  lOth  Article,  '•  we  have  no  power  to 
do  good  works,  pleasant  and  acceptable  to  God,  without  the 
grace  of  God  by  Christ  preventing  us,"  &c. — that  is,  enahling 
and  helping  us — (according  to  the  old  use  of  the  word.)  And 
in  the  Collect  above-mentioned,  it  is  also  said,  that  it  is  only 
from  the  gift  of  God  that  we  are  made  able  to  do  "  true  and 
laudable  service." 

Lay.  Relating  to  the  people,  as  distinguished  from  the 
Clergy. 

Lay-Baptism.  Baptism  administered  by  persons  not  in 
holy  orders,  i.  e.  by  laymen.  Under  the  designation  of 
"  laymen,"  the  Church  includes  both  those  who  are  avowedly 
such,  and  those  who  rank  as  clergy  in  non-episcopal  denomi- 
nations,— because,  their  ordinations  being  invalid,  their  ori- 
ginal  rank  as  laymen  remains  unchanged. 

The  question  of  the  validity  or  invalidity  of  Lay-baptism, 
is  one  of  those  matters  on  which  it  would  scarcely  become  us 
to  speak  peremptorily,  when  it  is  well  known  that,  in  the  ab- 
sence of  any  absolute  decision  of  the  Church,  contrary  deter- 
minations have  been  arrived  at,  by  those  who  have  an  equal 
claim  on  our  respect.  It  should  also  be  understood  that  the 
present  work  is  not  designed  as  a  record  of  private  opinion, 


tAV-BAPTISM*  "289 

but  an  exhibition  of  the  principles  and  practice  of  the  Church* 
So  far  then  as  these  are  clear,  our  course  is  plainly  marked 
out ; — so  far  as  there  may  be  obscurity,  it  rests  not  with  us, 
but  with  the  proper  ecclesiastical  authorities  to  frame  and 
pronounce  determinations.  With  this  understood,  we  put 
into  the  reader's  hand  what  follows. 

It  is  a  first  principle  in  the  Church  of  God,  that  no  one 
has  a  right  to  execute  any  function  of  the  ministry,  till  he 
has  been  lawfully  invested  with  the  ministerial  office.  It  is 
also  confessed  that  the  administration  of  baptism  is  one  of 
the  functions  of  the'  ministry.  It  follows,  therefore,  that  none 
have  a  right  to  administer  baptism,  but  those  holding  minis- 
terial authority.  Here  then,  there  can  be  no  dispute  ; — lay- 
men have  no  right  to  baptize.  But  what  if  they  should  bap. 
tize  in  spite  of  this  virtual  interdict?  Is  there  any  force  or 
validity  in  an  act  done  in  open  violation  of  a  fixed  principle 
of  the  Church  ?  Here  is  the  important  question  of  the  con- 
troversy— the  very  "  pith  of  the  matter  ;  "  and  it  resolves  it- 
self into  this  simple  inquiry  : — Suppose  that  a  layman  has  no 
right  to  baptize,  has  he  also  no  ability  ?  The  distinction  be- 
tween these  it  will  be  well  to  keep  in  view.  A  man  may 
have  ability  to  do  an  action,  without  the  right  to  exercise  that 
ability,  and  so  vice  versa.  And  again,  a  citizen  may  be  in 
full  possession  of  intellectual  and  physical  qualifications  for  a 
public  office  ;  but  without  either  right  or  ability  to  perform 
the  authoritative  acts  of  such  an  office,  till  these  are  confer- 
red upon  hini  by  the  superior  power.  Whence  then  does  a 
layman  derive  any  ability  to  baptize  ?  We  do  not  here  mean 
the  ability  to  perform  the  physical  act  of  reciting  the  form, 
and  pouring  the  water,  (for  these  are  in  everyone's  power,) 
but  that  of  standing  as  God's  agent  in  effecting  "  a  death  unto 
sin,  and  a  new  birth  unto  righteousness ;" — in  conferring 
remission  of  sins,  and  declaring  that  "hereby,"  in  this  very 
act  of  usurpation,  "the  children  of  wrath  are  made  the  chil- 
dren of  grace."     How  can  any  one,  not  a  lawful  minister,  pos- 

25 


«^90  LAY-BAPTISM. 

sess  ability  to  this  extent?  With  all  humility,  we  reply,  that 
we  know  not.  unless  the  sacrament  work  ex  opere  operato. 
If  a  layman  should  perform  the  external  part  of  ordination, 
confirmation,  absolution,  consecration  of  the  Eucharist,  &c. 
we  agree  in  ihe  conclusion,  that  this  is  null  and  void,  because 
he  has  no  power  over  the  internal  and  spiritual  part  of  such 
offices.  If  Baptism,  therefore,  be  any  thing  more  than  an  ex- 
ternal ceremony,  the  same  conclusion  would  seem  to  follow, 
for  any  thing  we  can  learn  from  Scripture  to  the  contrary. 
We  have  no  proof  that  Christ  ever  promised  to  sanction  lay- 
baptism ; — or  that  he  conferred  the  power  of  baptizing  on  any 
but  the  clergy  ; — or  that  the  Aposiles  ever  imparted  it  to  any 
but  other  clergy  ; — or  that  Christ  ever  pledged  himself  to  bind 
or  loose  in  heaven  what  laymen  might  bind  or  loose  on  earth. 
To  say  the  least,  then,  there  is  very  great  uncertainty  as  to 
the  spiritual  effect  of  baptisms  administered  by  those  whom 
neither  the  Head  of  the  Church,  nor  his  Apostles,  ever  com- 
missioned to  baptize.  This  appears  to  us  a  manifest  result  of 
the  principle  from  which  we  started;  and  unhss  that  princi- 
ple be  preserved,  we  see  not  how  the  integrity  of  the  Church 
can  be  maintained,  or  how  the  prerogatives  and  powers  of  the 
ministry  can  be  asserted;  or  why,  except  as  a  mere  matter  of 
expediency,  there  should  be  any  ministry  at  all.  For,  if  it  be 
granted  that  though  laymen  have  no  right  to  perform  priestly 
offices,  yet,  if  they  choose,  they  can  perform  them, — i.  e., 
their  usurped  acts  are  ratified  in  heaven,  equally  with  those 
of  an  empowered  ministry; — this  is  to  overturn  the  very 
foundations  of  Apostolic  order, — to  deprive  the  clergy  of  their 
divine  commission,  or  to  effectually  neutralize  it. — and  finally 
to  reduce  their  office,  in  the  judgment  of  the  world,  to  the  low 
rank  of  a  mere  literary  profession  or  ecclesiastical  employ- 
ment. 

So  much,  then,  for  the  legitimate  consequences  of  the  prin- 
ciple on  which  the  doctrine  of  the  Ministry  rests.  But  when 
we  turn  to  the  practice  of  the  Church,  we  are  struck  with  an 


LAY-BAPTISM.  291 

apparent  contrariety.  In  very  early  times,  the  b3ptisms  of 
laymen,  and  of  degraded  or  schismatical  priests,  were  not  in 
all  cases  repeated,  though  there  were  not  wanting  those  who, 
like  St.  Cyprian,  were  resolved  to  maintain  the  strictest  view 
oftheir  invalidity.  That  such  baptisms  were  suffered  to  pass, 
in  the  century  next  after  the  Apostles,  it  would  be  difficult  to 
prove  ;  and  in  the  succeeding  age,  the  probability  is  that  they 
were  only  tolerated  in  cases  of  extreme  necessity.  Still,  the 
fact  is  undeniable,  that  for  more  than  a  thousand  years,  lay 
baptisms  have  occurred  in  the  Church,  and  in  such  cases  re- 
baptization  was  not  always  thought  necessary. 

How,  then,  could  the  Church  vindicate  herself  in  a  proce- 
dure which  seemed  subversive  of  one  of  her  cardinal  princi- 
ples?— f.)r,  at  first  sight,  the  charge  of  inconsistency  appears 
inevitable  ;  and  yet,  as  every  tyro  knows,  the  ancient  Church 
was  tenacious  o[  her  rights,  and  exact  in  her  administration, 
almost  to  a  proverb.  To  us,  the  key  to  the  matter  seems  to 
have  been  this.  While  the  Church  acknowledged  no  author- 
ity in  laymen  to  baptize,  yet  if  they  did  go  through  the  regu- 
lar forms,  the  external  part  of  the  sacrament  was  actually 
performed.  Hence,  in  all  such  cases,  diligent  inquiry  was 
made  whether  the  element  of  water  was  applied,  and  whether 
this  was  done  in  the  name  of  the  sacred  Trinity.  On  proof  of 
this,  the  concession  was  made  that  so  far  baptism  had  been 
given.  But  while  the  Church  allowed  that  laymen  could 
perform  the  external  part  of  baptism,  she  seems  to  have  deni- 
ed altosfether  that  they  could  communicate  its  spiritual  gra- 
ces :  and.  therefore,  if  we  mistake  not,  a  lay-baptism  was  never 
esteemed  perfect,  complete,  and  without  defect  ;  i.  e.,  valid 
both  in  its  external  and  internal  parts.  A  person  so  baptized, 
on  returning  to  the  unity  of  the  Church,  or  on  application  for 
admittance  to  its  higher  privileges,  was  received  without  the 
repetition  of  the  external  part  of  the  initiatory  sacrament,  but 
was  endued  with  remission  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  by  the  laying 
on  of  the  Bishop's  hands  ia  Confirmation,  these  spiritual  gifts 


292  LAY-BAPTISM. 

being  those  which  were  wanting  in  the  applicant's  lay-baj?- 
tism.  Now,  if  this  was  so,  the  Church  stands  clear  of  any 
charge  of  inconsistency ;  nay  more,  she  exhibited  her  adher- 
ence to  principle  in  the  strongest  lis^ht,  by  treating  lay-baptism 
as  a  mere  form  of  that  sacrament  "without  the  power  thereof" 
This,  we  think,  was  the  ordinary  practice  of  the  Church, 
And  though  Confirmation  is  an  ordinance  distinct  from  Bap- 
tism, yet  it  always  preserved  a  closer  alliance  with  that  sacra- 
ment than  with  the  holy  Eucharist,  being  anciently  given  ei- 
ther in  immediate  connection  with  Baptism,  or  at  a  period 
very  little  subsequent  to  it. 

So  far  as  the  irregular  baptisms  of  heretics  and  schismatics 
wore  concerned,  it  is  incontestable  that  the  compensating 
practice  just  referred  to,  was  very  generally  adopted.  And 
that  confirmation  was  given,  in  such  cases,  not  only  for  the 
conferring  of  ifs  own  proper  graces,  but  also  with  the  direct 
object  of  correcting  the  deficiencies  of  a  previous  baptism,  fs 
manifest  from  the  language  of  early  writers.  Leo,  in  writing 
to  Nicetius,  Bishop  of  Aquileia,  remarks,  "  that  such  as  recei- 
ved baptism  from  heretics  *  *  *  *  were  to  be  received  only 
by  invocation  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  imposition  of  hands,  and 
that  because  they  had  before  only  received  the  form  of  baptism, 
without  the  sanctifying  power  of  it."  "  St.  Austin  supposes," 
says  Bingham,  "that  they  [who  are  thus  baptized]  receive  the 
outward  visible  sacrament,  but  not  the  invisible,  internal,  sanc- 
tifying grace  of  the  Spirit."  Th?se  graces  "  heretics  and 
schismatics  were  not  supposed  qualified  to  give,  nor  they  who 
desired  baptism  at  their  hands,  qualified  to  receive,  till  they 
returned  with  repentance  and  charity  to  the  unity  of  the 
Church  again;  and  then  the  Church,  by  imposition  of  hands, 
and  invocation  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  might  obtain  for  them  those 
blessings  and  graces,  which  might  have  been  had  in  baptism." 
&c.  This  was  the  gt^neral  sense  of  the  Church  ;  for  Avhich 
reason  they  appointed  that  imposition  of  hands  should  be  given 
to  such  as  returned  to  the  Church,  in  order  to  obtain  the  grace 


LAY-BAPTISM.  293 

of  the  Holy  Ghost  for  them  by  prayer,  which  they  wanted 
before,  as  having  received  baptism  from  those,  who  had  no 
power  to  give  the  Holy  Ghost.  Innocent  says,  that  "their 
ministrations  were  defective  in  this,  that  they  could  not  give 
the  Holy  Ghost;  and  therefore  such  as  were  baptized  by 
them  were  imperfect,  and  were  to  b?  received  with  imposition 
of  hands,  that  ihfy  might  thereby  obtain  the  grace  of  the  Holy 
Ghost."  "  This,"  adds  Bingham,  "  was  the  true  and  only 
method  of  supplying  the  defects  of  heretical  baptism,  as  is  evi- 
dent from  all  the  passages  which  speak  of  the  use  of  the  sacred 
unction,  which  was  joined  with  imposition  of  hands  and  pray- 
er, to  implore  the  grace  of  remission  of  sins,  and  the  other 
gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  were  wanting  before."*  Con- 
firmation was  therefore  regarded  as  supplying  all  that  was 
deficient  in  the  unauthorized  baptisms  of  heretics  and  schis- 
matics;  and  though  less  is  said  about  the  usurped  baptisms  of 
orthodox  laymen,  yet  analogy  w'ould  lead  us  to  judge  that  a 
resort  was  had  to  the  same  expedient  to  relieve  their  imper- 
fection. This  much  we  know,  that  the  ancient  Church  stood 
firmly  on  principle,  and  yet  that  laymen  sometimes  baptized, 
in  direct  defiance  of  that  principle;  and  in  such  cases,  the  ex- 
ternal part  was  frequently  not  repeated  ; — therefore  by  some 
process  this  imperfect  baptism  was  legalized  and  consumma- 
ted, and  we  read  of  no  other  such  process  than  that  just  stated. 
After  acquainting  the  reader  with  the  above  hypothesis,  it 
is  the  part  of  candor  to  state,  that  it  is  by  no  means  ("ree  from 
difficulties.  The  question  may  be  asked,  How  much  of  the 
sacrament  was  supposed  to  reside  in  the  external  act  ?  Was 
Church. membership  acquired  by  that,  or  by  the  supplement- 
ary imposition  of  hands  ?  If  by  the  latter,  what  Scripture 
authority  is  there  for  considering  confirmation,  in  any  case, 
as  an  initiatory  rite  ?     Again  ;  can  baptism  be  divided,  so  as 


*  The  cases  here  supposed,  let  it  be  remembered,  were  those  in  which 
the^orm  and  the  matter  of  the  sat-.niment  hnd  been  adhered  t'l;  tar  if 
there  was  any  deficiency  in  these,  the  baptism  was  aiwa}s  repeated. 

25* 


29i  LAY-BAFTISM. 

to  separate  its  "  outward  and  visible  sign  "  from  its  "  inward 
and  spiritual  grace  ?  "     These,  and  many  other  inquiries,  we 
shall  not  pretend  to  resolve  ;  and  have  introduced  them  only 
to  apprize  the  reader  of  the  bearings  of  the  case  on  both  sides. 
By  those  who,  instead  of  adopting  this  theory,  carry  out 
strictly  the  principle,  that  it  is  essential  to  true  baptism  that 
there  be  not  only  the  form  and  the  element,  but  also  a  lawful 
Minister,  the  administration  of  the  rile  by  laymen,  is  of  course 
accounted  a  mere  nullity,  and  therefore  always  to  be  repeated. 
Sound  as  this  view  may  be,  there  are  consequences  flowing 
from  it,  as  startling  as  they  are  inevitable.     For,  not  only 
have  large  numbers  of  persons  been  admitted  to  full  com- 
munion in  the  Church,  on  the  basis  of  a  lay-baptism  never  re- 
peated, but  many  of  the   Clergy  of  all  ranks  stand  in  the 
same  predicament.     In  the  American  Episcopal  Church,  this 
is  peculiarly  the  case,  on  account  of  the  frequent  accessions 
gained  from  other  religious  bodies.     If  then,  baptism  by  an 
authorized    ministry    be    the    only  door    of  entry    into   the 
Church,  all  these  are  yet  in  the  position  of  unbaptized  persons, 
and  consequently  not  members  of  the  Church,  though  they 
may  be  ministers  of  it.     To  solve  this  difficulty,  il  is  alleged 
that  official   authority  in  any  society,  is  not  dependent  on 
actual  membership  ;  and  cases  have  been  referred  to,  in  the 
usages  of  corporate  and  other  bodies,  to  justify  this  position 
in  relation  to  the  Church.     There  is  also  one  example  in  the 
New  Testament,  bearing  directly  in  favor  of  the  hypothesis, 
viz.,  the  fact,  that  St.  Paul  was  undeniably  in  the  highest 
office  of  the  ministry,  (an  Apostle,)  for  some  time  iejore  he 
received  baptism:    Acts  ix.  9-18.      Compare  xxvi.   16,  and 
Gal.  i.  1.     This  is  a  curious  fact,  and  well  deserving  of  con- 
sideration.    It  goes  to  show,  at  least,  that  ordinations  are  not 
rendered  null  by  the  want  of  baptism  ;   and  this  would  seem 
to  hold  good,  especially  in  those  cases  where  the  defect  was 
not  wilful,  but  the  mere  result  of  untoward  circumstances. 
If  St.  Paul   had  ordained,  or  performed  any  other  clerical 


LAY- BAPTISM.  295 

function,  in  the  time  intervening  between  his  reception  of 
the  Aposlleship  and  his  baptism,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
such  acts  would  have  been  held  valid  by  the  Church.  This 
may  serve  as  a  sketch  of  the  views  of  those  who  advocate 
the  theory,  that  the  ministerial 'succession  may  be  preserved, 
though  baptism  be  wanting. 

In  the  Church  of  England,  and  that  of  the  United  States, 
there  is  some  diversity,  both  cf  opinion  and  practice,  respect- 
ing lay. baptisms.     By  some,  they  are  regarded  as  valid  ;  by 
others,  as  imperfect,  till  ratified  by  confirmation,  or  by  the 
use  of  the  hypothetical  form  ;  and  by  a  third  class,  as  totally 
invalid,   and   therefore   always   to  be   repeated  by  a  lawful 
Minister.      At  the  time  of  the  Reformation,  it  is  remarkable 
that,  at  first,  the  practice  of  the  Romish  Church  was  retained, 
by  allowing  laymen  to  baptize  infants,  in  cases  of  sickness  ; 
but  at  a  period  a  little  later,  the  rubric  was  so  altered  as  to 
interdict  the  practice  altogether.     By  the  rubrics  of  the  2d 
and  5th  of  Edward  VI.,  it  was  ordered,  that  "them  that  be 
present"  shall  "call  upon  God  for  his  grace,  and  say  the 
Lord's  Prayer,  if  the  time  will  suffer  :  and  then  one  of  them 
shall  name  the  child,  and  dip  him  in  the  water,  or  pour  water 
upon  him,  saying,"  &c.     But  in  the  book  of  Common  Prayer 
of  1575,  the  alterations  were  printed  in  the  rubric  thus  : — 
"  Let  the  lawful  Minister,  and  them  that  be  present,  call  upon 
God  for  his  grace,  and  say  the  Lord's  Prayer,  if  the  time  will 
suffer  :  and  then,  the  child  being  named  by  some  one  that  is 
present,  the  said  Minister  shall  dip  it  in  the  water,  or  pour 
water  upon  it,"  &lc.     This  would  seem  to  show  a  desire,  on 
the  part  of  the  Church,  to  prevent  laymen  from  baptizing, 
even  in  cases  of  necessity ;  and  yet,  as  Bishop  Fleetwood 
remarks,  "  in  no  public  act  hath  the  Church  ever  ordered 
such  as  have  been  baptized  by  lay  hands,  to  be  re-baptized  by 
a  lawful  Minister,  though  at  the  time  of  the  Restoration,  there 
were  supposed  to  be  in  England  and  Wales  two  or  three  hun- 
dred thousand  souls  baptized  by  such  as  are  called  lay  hands.'^ 


296  LAY 

In  the  American  Church  the  same  position  is  maintained, 
though  efforts  have  been  made,  but  ineffectually,  (as  in  the 
General  Convention  of  1^11,)  "to  procure  a  declaration  of 
the  invalidity  of  lay.baptism."  Bishop  White  opposed  both 
the  measure  and  the  principle,  holding  that  such  baptisms 
were  valid,  and  that  the  contrary  opinion,  when  first  broached 
in  England,  had  the  "  strongest  appearances  of  a  political 
manoeuvre,  played  off  against  the  family  on  whom  the  suc- 
cession to  the  crown  had  been  settled  by  act  of  parliament." 

When  Bishops  disagree,  it  is  not  for  us  to  decide  ;  and 
therefore,  having  now  given  the  reader  an  abstract  of  the 
state  of  the  question,  we  leave  him  to  judge  as  well  as  he  can, 
where  lies  the  preponderance  of  truth,  and  the  place  of 
greatest  safety.  That  the  lawfully  ordained  Ministers  of 
Christ  have  the  power  and  right  of  administering  true  bap- 
tism, is  incontestable.  Whether  any  others  possess  the  like 
power,  we  shall  know  and  acknowledge,  when  they  produce 
their  commission  to  "  Go  and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing 
them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the 
Holy  Ghost." 

Lay-impropriation.  In  England,  a  Church  or  ecclesias- 
tical benefice  in  the  hands  of  a  layman. 

Layman,  or  Laic.  One  of  the  laity  or  people  of  a  par- 
ish ;  that  is,  a  man  who  is  not  a  Clergyman,  but  a  private 
Christian. 

Lay-reader.  In  Churches  which  are  destitute  of  a  Min- 
ister, or  at  times  when  he  is  absent  from  his  parish,  or  pre- 
vented from  officiating,  by  sickness,  &c.,  one  of  the  Church- 
wardens, or  Vestrymen,  or  other  fit  person  from  among  the 
laity,  may  read  the  public  service  and  a  printed  sermon  in 
his  stead.  To  such  a  person  the  designation  of  a  lay-reader 
is  given  ;  that  is,  a  layman  who,  in  cases  of  emergency,  con- 
ducts the  ordinary  service  of  the  Church.  Such  readers  are 
subject  to  the  ecclesiastical  authority  of  the  Diocese  in  which 
they  officiate. 


LEG  297 

The  regulations  of  the  Church  in  respect  to  Candidates  for 
Orders,  who  are  lay. readers,  are  thus  expressed  in  Canon  XX. 
of  the  General  Convention. 

"  No  candidate  for  holy  orders  shall  take  upon  himself  to 
perform  the  service  of  the  Church,  but  by  a  license  from  the 
Bishop,  or,  if  there  be  no  Bishop,  the  clerical  members  of  the 
Standing  Committee  of  the  diocese  in  which  such  candidate 
may  wish  to  perform  the  service.  And  such  candidate  shall 
submit  to  all  the  regulations  which  the  Bishop  or  said  clerical 
members  may  prescribe  ;  he  shall  not  use  the  absolution  or 
benediction  ;  he  shall  not  assume  the  dress  appropriate  to 
clergymen  ministering  in  the  congregation  ;  and  shall  offi- 
ciate  from  the  desk  only  ;  he  shall  conform  to  the  directions 
of  the  Bishop  or  said  clerical  members,  as  to  the  sermons  or 
homilies  to  be  read;  nor  shall  any  lay-reader  deliver  ser- 
mons  of  his  own  composition  ;  nor,  except  in  cases  of  extra- 
ordinary  emergency,  or  very  peculiar  expediency,  perform 
any  part  of  the  service,  when  a  clergyman  is  present  in  the 
congregation." 

Lectionary.  In  the  ancient  Church,  a  book  which  con- 
sisted of  lessons  from  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  corre- 
sponding to  our  Law,  Epistles  and  Gospels.  "  The  Lection- 
ary  often  contained  the  Gospels  as  well  as  the  other  Lessons  ; 
but  generally  the  Gospels  were  read  from  a  separate  volume 
called  Evangelistarium."* 

Lecture.  A  discourse  usually  of  a  more  simple  and 
familiar  character  than  a  sermon.  The  term,  however,  is 
frequently  applied  to  those  occasional  sermons  which  are 
preached  on  week  evenings,  or  holy. days,  and  at  other  times, 
either  with  or  without  the  full  services  of  the  Church. 

Lecturer.  In  England,  a  preacher  chosen  by  the  vestry 
or  congregation,  to  deliver  sermons  or  lectures  without  being 


*  Origines  Liturgicse,  I.  p.  308. 


298  LEN 

invested  with  the  rectorship  or  pastoral  charge  of  the  Church 
in  which  he  officiates.  The  lecturer  is  generally  the  after- 
noon preacher,  but  occasionally  is  appointed  for  some  stated 
week-day.  Courses  of  lectures  are  also  endowed  by  benevo- 
lent individuals,  and  the  Minister  appointed  to  deliver  them  is 
permitted  so  to  do  on  obtaining  the  approbation  of  the  Bishop, 
and  the  consent  of  the  rector  of  the  particular  Church  for 
which  the  lectures  were  established. 

In  the  United  States  the  term  is  applied  to  any  one  who 
occasionally  or  at  stated  times  delivers  lectures. 

Lent.  The  holy  seasons  appointed  by  the  Church  will 
generally  be  found  to  date  their  rise  from  some  circumstance 
in  the  life  of  our  Lord,  some  event  in  Scripture  history, 
or  a  desire  to  keep  in  remembrance  the  virtues  and  piety  of 
the  saints  who  adorned  the  early  Church.  But  the  origin  of 
the  season  of  Lent,  is  not  so  obvious,  though  it  is  usually  sup- 
posed  that  Lent  is  observed  in  commemoration  of  our  Sav- 
ior's temptation  and  fasting  of  forty  days  in  the  wilderness. 
It  is  most  probable  that  the  Christian  Lent  originated  from  a 
regard  to  those  words  of  the  Redeemer,  "  the  days  will  come 
when  the  bridegroom  shall  be  taken  away  from  them,  and 
then  shall  they  fast  in  those  days."  VVe  learn  from  the  his- 
tory  of  the  Church,  that  the  primitive  Christians  considered 
that  in  this  passage  Christ  has  alluded  to  the  institution  of  a 
particular  season  of  fasting  and  prayer  in  his  future  Chuich. 
Accordingly,  they,  in  the  first  instance,  began  this  solemn 
period  on  the  afternoon  of  the  day  on  which  they  commem- 
orated the  crucifixion,  and  continued  it  until  the  morning  of  that 
of  the  resurrection.  The  whole  interval  would  thus  be  only 
about  forty  hours.  "But  by  degrees  this  institution  suffered 
a  considerable  change,  different  however  at  different  times 
and  places.  From  the  forty  hours,  or  the  two  days  originally 
observed,  it  was  extended  to  other  additional  days,  but  with 
great  variety  in  their  number,  according  to  the  judgment  of 
the  various  Churches.     Some  fasted  three  days  in  the  week 


LENT.  299 

before  Easter,  some  four,  and  others  six.  A  little  after,  some 
extended  the  fast  to  three  Weeks,  and  others  to  six,  and  other 
Churches  appointed  certain  portions  of  seven  weeks  in  suc- 
cession. The  result  of  all  this  was  the  eventual  fixing  the 
time  at  forty  days,  commencing  on  the  Wednesday  in  the  7th 
week  before  Easter,  and  excluding  the  intermediate  Sundays." 
It  is  not,  however,  to  be  supposed  that  the  Church  remained 
long  in  uncertainty  on  this  point,  for  it  appears  that  the  Lent 
of  forty  days  can  be  traced  to  a  period  very  near  that  of  the 
Apostles.*  That  its  term  of  forty  days  was  settled  at  a  very 
early  period,  is  evident  from  the  writings  of  the  Bishops  of 
those  times,  who  refer  us.  in  vindication  of  it,  to  the  example 
of  Moses,  Elias,  and  our  Lord,  all  of  whom  fasted  forty  days. 
From  all  this,  then,  we  arrive  at  the  conclusion  that  though 
fasting  is  frequently  alluded  to  in  the  Scriptures  as  a  Chris- 
tian duty,  yet  the  set  times  for  it  are  to  be  referred  solely  to 
the  authority  of  the  Church.  It  may  here  be  remarked,  that 
the  name  we  apply  to  this  season,  is  derived  from  the  time 
of  the  year  when  it  occurs.  The  term  Lent,  in  the  Saxon 
language,  signifies  Spring;  and  as  we  use  it,  indicates  merely 
the  Spring  fast,  preparatory  to  the  rising  of  Christ  from  the 
grave. 

The  Lenten  fast  does  not  embrace  all  the  days  included 
between  Ash- Wednesday  and  Easter  ;  for  the  Sundays  are 
so  many  days  above  the  number  of  40.  They  are  excluded, 
because  the  Lord's  day  is  always  held  as  ^festival,  and  never 
as  Si  fast.  These  six  Sundays  are,  therefore,  called  Sundays 
in  Lent,  not  Sundays  of  Lent.     They  are  in  the  midst  of  it, 


♦  The  6th  Apostolic  Canon  is  in  these  words  :  "  If  any  Bishop,  Priest, 
Deacon,  Reader  or  Singer,  do  not  keep  the  Holy  Fast  of  Lent,  forty  days 
before  Easter,  or  the  Wednesdays  ad  Fridays,  let  him  be  deposed,  if  he 
be  not  hi  dereil  by  some  boddv  infirmity ;  but  if  he  be  a  layman,  let  him 
bo  buspended  fiom  Communion." 


300  -  LENT. 

but  do  not  form  part  of  it.  On  them  we  still  continue,  with- 
out interruption,  to  celebrate  our  Savior's  resurrection. 

The  principal  days  of  Lent  are  the  first  day, — Passion 
week, — and  particularly  the  Thursday  and  Friday  in  that 
week.  The  first  day  of  Lent  was  formerly  called  the  Head 
of  the  Fast,  and  also  by  the  name  which  the  Church  retains, 
— Ash. Wednesday.  In  the  Church  of  England  there  is  a 
solemn  service  appointed  for  Ash- Wednesday,  under  the 
title  of  a  "Commination,  or  de""\ouncing  of  God's  anger  and 
judgments  against  sinners."  This  was  designed  to  occupy, 
as  far  as  could  be,  the  place  of  the  ancient  penitential  disci- 
pline, as  is  sufficiently  declared  in  the  beginning  of  the  office 
in  the  English  Prayer-book.  On  the  review  of  the  Prayer- 
book  by  the  General  Convention  of  the  American  Church,  it 
was  thought  proper  to  omit  this  office,  only  retaining  three 
of  its  prayers,  which  are  now  inserted  after  the  Collect  for 
Ash-Wednesday.  The  last  week  of  Lent,  called  Passion 
Week,  has  always  been  considered  as  its  most  solemn  season. 
It  is  called  the  Great  Week,  from  the  important  trans- 
actions  which  were  then  commemorated, — and  Holy  Week, 
from  the  increase  of  devotional  exercises  among  believers. 
The  Thursday  in  Passion  Week  is  that  on  which  we  cele- 
brate the  institution  of  the  Lord's  Supper, — it  being  on  this 
day  that  Christ  first  partook  of  it.  The  Epistle  for  the  day 
has  been  selected  by  the  Church  with  a  view  to  this  fact. 
On  the  following  day  we  commemorate  the  suflTerings  and 
particularly  the  death  of  our  Savior  Christ.  And,  from  the 
mighty  and  blessed  effects  of  these,  in  the  redemption  of 
man,  the  day  is  appropriately  called  Good  Friday.  As  this 
day  has  been  kept  holy  by  the  Church  from  the  earliest  times, 
so  has  it  also  been  made  a  time  of  the  strictest  devotion  and 
humiliation. 

From  these  brief  remarks,  (for  many  of  which  we  are  in- 
debted to  Bishop  Mant,  and  Wheatly,)  will  be  seen  the  au- 
thority, the  antiquity,  and  the  purport  of  the  season  of  Lent. 


Lfes  301 

It  was  no  invention  of  a  corrupt  Church  in  the  dark  ages, 
when  the  greater  part  of  the  world  was  burdened  with  a  pon- 
derous load  of  ceremonies  ;  but  it  was  in  full  vigor  when 
Christianity  was  in  her  prime, — when  she  could  boast  of  a 
high  degree  of  purity,  zeal,  and  holiness.     We  do  not  need 
to  be  informed,  that  in  the  Romish  and  other  Churches,  Lent 
has  suffered  some  abuse.     We  know  the  fact,  and  acknowl- 
edge  it ;  but  if  it  were  on  this  account  rejected,  we  should 
proceed  on  a  mere  sophism,  and  with  equal  reason  might  re*, 
ject  the   holy  Communion,  because  in  another  Church  it  is 
held  in  connection  with  the  dogma  of  transubstantiation.     If 
we  are  to  cast  aside  every  thing  in  religion  which  has  been 
abused,  it  is  a  question  whether  any  thing  would  be  left  but 
simple  Atheism  ;  for  not  a  doctrine  or  observance  can  be 
mentioned,  which  has  not,  in  some  age  of  the  Church,  been 
coupled  with  extravagance  and  fanaticism,  and  has  suffered 
long  and  patiently,  till  some  bold  spirit  came  forward  to 
strip  away  the  delusion,  and  restore  the  truth  in  its  ancient 
beauty.     It  is  the  aim  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  to  follow  as 
far  as  she  can,  the  consecrated  usages  of  primitive  antiquity. 
She  would  ascertain  the  doctrines  and  forms  of  the  genera, 
tions  of  Christians  who  lived  next  after  the  Apostles  ;  and 
having  found  these,  she  embraces,  preserves,   and  teaches 
them,  even  though  they  may  have  been  surrounded  for  awhile 
in  other  Churches,  with  corruption.     The  Church  is  not  so 
unwise  as  to  throw  away  the  jewel,  because  dust  has  accu- 
mulated  on  its  surface,  but  rather  removes  with  care  what- 
ever  is  superfluous,  and  restores  it  to  its  original  lustre.     If 
there  is  any  superstition  in  Lent,  let  it  be  proved,  and  it  will 
soon  be  purged  away  ;  but  the  objector  should  bear  in  mind, 
in  this  as  well  as  in  other  matters,  that  the  greatest  supersti- 
tion  is  that  which,  in  its  own  self-adoration,  becomes  really 
superstitious  in  assailing  imaginary  superstition. 

Lessons.     The  chapters  of  the  Bible  which  are  read  in 
the  Church  service.     Of  these  there  are  two  on  each  ordi. 
^6 


302  LET 

nary  occasion  of  divine  worship  ;  the  first  taken  from  the 
Old  Testament,  and  the  second  fronn  the  New.  In  the  Cal- 
endar and  Tables  at  the  beginning  of  the  Prayer-book,  may 
be  seen  what  chapters  are  appointed  by  the  Church  to  be  read 
on  every  day  throughout  the  year.  The  first  table  is  for 
Sundays.  It  states  the  names  of  all  the  Sundays  in  the  year, 
and  the  Lessons  which  will  be  appropriate  for  both  morning 
and  evening  of  each  of  those  days.  The  chapters  for  the 
first  lessons  are  selected  from  the  books  of  the  Old  Testament 
in  regular  order,  except  on  East°r  and  Whit-Sunday, — 
which  days  being  two  of  the  great  festivals  of  the  Church, 
have  lessons  particularly  adapted  to  them.  For  the  second 
lessons,  on  Sundays,  chapters  from  the  Gospels  and  Acts  of 
the  Apostles  are  read  in  the  morning,  and  others  from  the 
Epistles  in  the  evening. 

The  next  table  of  lessons  is  for  the  other  holy-days,  such 
as  Saints'  days,  and  Christmas,  Epiphany,  &c.  6z;c.  The 
table  shows  what  portion  of  Scripture  will  be  appropriate 
for  the  events  commemorated  on  those  days.  Thus,  for 
Christmas  day,  on  which  the  Church  celebrates  the  birth  of 
Clirist,  the  first  lesson  in  the  morning  service  is  Isaiah,  ix. 
to  the  8th  verse,  where  it  is  prophesied, — "  Unto  us  a  child 
is  born,  unto  us  a  Son  is  given,''  &c.  The  second  lesson  is 
from  Luke,  ii.,  which  gives  an  account  of  the  birth  of 
Christ,  with  the  appearing  of  the  angel  to  the  shepherds  at 
Bethlehem,  and  their  visit  to  the  young  child  Jesus,  whom 
they  found  "  wrapped  in  swaddling  clothes,  and  lying  in  a 
manger."  In  the  afternoon,  the  lessons  are,  in  like  manner, 
selected  to  agree  with  the  design  of  the  day,  and  will  be 
found  similarly  appropriate.  The  same  remarks  apply  to 
the  lessons  on  other  holy-days. 

"Let."  In  the  Collect  for  the  fourth  Sunday  in  Advent, 
occurs  the  expression, — "  Sore  let  and  hindered,"  &c.  The 
word  "let"  is  here  used  in  its  obsolete  sense,  of  impeded  or 
retarded.     The  sense  is  this :— i"  We  are  exceedingly  hin- 


LET  303 

dered  and  obstructed  in  running  the  race  that  is  set  before 
us." 

The  word  is  used  in  the  same  sense  in  the  following  pas- 
sages of  Scripture  : — "I  will  work,  and  who  shall  let  it?"  — 
i.  e.,  "  who  shall  hinder  it  l  "  "  Wherefore  do  ye,  Moses  and 
Aaron,  let  the  people  from  their  works  ?  " — i.  e.,  "  why  do 
ye  hinder  them  in  doing  their  work  ? "  Saint  Paul,  address- 
ing the  Romans,  says  : — "I  purposed  to  come  unto  you,  (but 
was  let  hitherto  ;)"  meaning,  not  &c.,  that  he  w^s  furthered,  but 
impeded  in  his  design.  Again  : — "  The  mystery  of  iniquity 
doth  already  work  ;  only  he  who  now  letteth  will  let  until  he 
be  taken  out  of  the  way ;  " — i.  e.,  "  he  who  now  restraineth 
or  hindereth,  will  continue  to  restrain  until  he  be  taken 
away." 

The  following  may  serve  still  further  to  illustrate  this  use 
of  the  word  : — To  glorify  God  in  all  things,  is  to  do  nothing 
whereby  the  salvation  of  Jew,  or  Grecian,  or  any  in  the 
Church  of  Christ,  may  be  let  or  hindered."* 

"  All  Priests  and  Deacons  are  to  say  daily  the  Morning 
and  Evening  Prayer,  either  privately  or  openly,  not  being  let 
by  sickness  or  some  other  urgent  cause."  f 

Wiclif  has  a  treatise,  entitled  "  Twelve  lettings  [hindrances] 
of  Prayer."  In  the  introduction  he  says  : — "  Here  follow 
twelve  lettings  of  Prayer,  whereby  men  may  know  better 
why  they  are  not  heard  in  their  prayer,  of  God,  alway,  when 
they  pray." 

"Let  us  pray."  It  has  long  been  a  custom  of  the  Church, 
to  awaken  and  recall  attention  in  the  public  services,  by  the 
use  of  this  and  similar  exhortations.  In  the  ancient  Churches, 
it  was  common  for  a  Deacon  frequently  to  call  out,  "  Let  us 
pray,^^  or  "  Let  us  pray  earnestly,''^  or  "  Brethren,  let  us  pray 
more  earnestly.''''     The  simplest  only,  of  these  forms,  is  re- 


*  Hooker.  t  Preface  to  the  English  Prayer  book. 


304 


LIN 


tained  by  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  found  in  her  services^i^ 
"  warning  us  thereby  to  lay  aside  all  wandering  thoughts,  and 
to  attend  to  the  great  work  we  are  about ;  for  though  the 
Minister  alone  speaks  most  of  the  words,  yet  our  affections- 
must  go  along  with  every  petition,  and  sign  them  all  at  last 
with  an  hearty  Amen."  * 

License.  A  permission  granted  by  the  Bishop  to  a  Can- 
didate for  Orders,  authorizing  him  to  read  services  and  ser- 
mons in  a  Church,  in  the  absence  of  a  Minister.  Also,  the 
liberty  to  preach,  which  the  Bishop  may  give  to  those  who 
have  been  ordained  Deacons,  if  he  judge  them  to  be  qualified. 
See  the  Ordering  of  Deacons  in  the  Prayer-book,  where 
the  Bishop  says  to  those  he  is  ordaining  : — "  Take  thou  au- 
thority to  read  the  Gospel  in  the  Church  of  God,  and  to 
preach  the  same,  if  thou  be  thereto  licensed  by  the  Bishop 
himself." 

"  Lighten."  In  the  English  Prayer  book,  this  word  is 
sometimes  used  in  the  sense  of  coming  upon  or  alighting,  as 
in  the  last  but  one  verse  of  the  Te  Deum  : — "  O,  Lord,  let 
thy  mercy  lighten  [alight]  upon  us."  In  the  American  edi- 
tions, this  is  changed  to,- — "  let  thy  mercy  he  upon  us," — 
which  preserves  the  sense,  but  not  the  allusion.  The  word 
is  also  used  in  the  sense  of  enlighten  in  the  English  Collect, 
in  Evening  Prayer,  for  "  Aid  against  Perils,"  thus  :-^"  Lighten 
our  darkness,  we  beseech  thee,  O  Lord,"  &c. 

"Linen  cloth."  For  thirteen  hundred  years  at  the  least, 
it  has  been  customary  to  use  a  white  linen  cloth  for  covering 
the  elements  on  the  altar  at  the  Holy  Communion.  And  in 
agreement  with  so  venerable  and  reasonable  a  custom,  the 
Episcopal  Church  ordains,  that  the  altar  at  the  Communion 
time,  shall  have  a  ^^ fair  while  linen  cloth  upon  it."  It  is  also 
ordered,  that,   after  all  have  received  the  Communion,  the 


AVheatly. 


LIT  305 

Minister  shall  place  on  the  Lord's  Table  "  what  remaineth 
of  the  consecrated  elements,  covering  the  same  with  a  fair 
white  linen  cloth.^'' 

In  God's  house,  every  thing  should  be  done  "  decently  and 
in  order ;  "  not  only  for  our  own  comfort  and  convenience, 
but  especially  to  show  our  deep  reverence  for  that  Being  to 
whose  service  these  earthly  temples  are  dedicated.  And 
surely,  among  all  the  services  of  the  sanctuary,  none  can 
have  greater  demands  on  our  affection  and  respect,  and  in 
none  can  we  more  fully  realize  the  presence  of  an  All-seeing 
God,  than  the  holy  sacrament  of  the  body  and  blood  of 
Christ.  Here  then,  should  every  thing,  even  the  externals 
of  the  rite,  be  pure  and  clean,  strongly  remindmg  us,  of  that 
unspotted  holiness  which  becomes  us  when  we  approach  to 
"such  a  heavenly  feast,"  and  of  the  sinless  perfection  of 
that  Divine  Redeemer  whose  death  and  sacrifice  we  here 
commemorate. 

Litany.  The  term  "Litany"  is  used  by  ancient  writers 
in  many  different  senses.  At  first  it  seems  to  have  been  ap- 
plied  as  a  general  appellation  for  all  prayers  and  supplica- 
tions, whether  public  or  private.  In  the  4th  century  it  was 
given  more  especially  to  those  solemn  offices  which  were 
performed  with  processions  of  the  Clergy  and  people. 
"  Public  supplications  and  prayers  to  God,  on  occasions  of 
especial  urgency,  were  certainly  prevalent  in  the  Church 
during  the  4th  and  5th  centuries."*  These  supplications 
were  called  litanies  in  the  Ea-tern  Church,  from  whence  the 
name  passed  to  the  West.  Here  they  were  known  as  roga- 
tions  or  supplications,  until  the  name  of  litany  became  more 
prevalent  than  any  other.  "  The  Church  of  England  appears 
to  have  received  the  stated  rogation  or  litany  days  of  the 
Galilean  Church  at  an  early  period,  and  from  that  time  to 


*  Origines  Liturgicae. 
26* 


306  LITANY. 

the  present,  she  has  reckoned  them  among  her  days  of  fast- 
ing. Formerly  in  this  Church,  there  were  processions  on  all 
these  days."* 

The  Litany  of  the  Episcopal  Church  is  not  an  exact  tran- 
script  of  any  ancient  form,  though  composed  of  materials  of 
very  ancient  date.  It  differs  essentially  from  the  Romish 
Litanies,  by  containing  no  invocations  to  angels  and  departed 
saints.  Our  invocations  are  made  to  the  three  Persons  of 
the  sacred  Trinity,  and  to  tliem  alone,  while  the  office  of 
Mediator  and  Intercessor  is  throughout  ascribed  only  to  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

In  the  original  arrangement,  the  Litany  formed  a  distinct 
service,  not  used  at  the  time  of  the  other  services.  But  by 
later  usage  it  has  been  united  with  the  Morning  Prayer, 
though  still  retaining  its  separate  place  in  the  Prayer-book. 
Formerly,  there  was  a  rubric,  requiring  that  "after  Morning 
Prayer,  the  people  being  called  together  by  the  ringing  of  a 
bell,  and  assembled  in  the  Church,  the  English  Litany  shall  be 
said  after  the  accustomed  manner ;  " — and  it  was  also  re- 
quired that  "  every  householder  dwelling  within  half  a  mile 
of  the  Chu^-ch,  should  come,  or  send  some  one  at  the  least  of 
his  household,  fit  to  join  with  the  Minister  in  prayers."  The 
ordinary  arrangement  was  to  hold  Morning  Prayer  at  8 
o'clock,  the  Litany  at  9,  and  the  Communion  at  10.  This 
practice  is  still  observed  in  some  of  the  English  Churches ; 
and  Bishop  White,  in  his  Memoirs  of  the  American  Church, 
remarks  that  when  he  was  in  England,  being  on  a  visit  to  the 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  he  observed  that  on  Wednesdays, 
he  with  the  other  Bishops,  retired  to  the  chapel  before  din- 
ner ;  and  on  accompanying  them  he  found  that  their  object 
was  to  use  the  Litany,  in  compliance  with  the  original 
custom. 


Origines  Liturgicge. 


LIT  307 

The  Litany  is  usually  considered  as  embracing  four  main 
divisions,  viz.,  the  Invocations,  Deprecations,  Interces- 
sions, and  Supplications.  These  we  have  enlarged  upon 
under  their  appropriate  heads,  to  which  the  reader  is  referred. 

In  the  American  Prayer-Book,  the  Litany  differs  from  the 
English  only  in  the  alteration  of  local  allusions,  the  change  of 
a  few  obsolete  words  and  phrases,  and  in  the  reading  of  the 
part  called  the  Su  )plic  tions  being  left  discretionary. 

Liturgic,  or  Liturgical.  Relating  to  a  liturgy,  or  a 
regular  prescribed  form  of  divine  worship.  A  liturgical  sex- 
vice  (like  that  in  the  Prayer  book  for  example)  is  distinguish- 
ed from  one  which  is  extempore,  or  composed  by  the  Minister 
while  he  officiates. 

Liturgy.  This  term  was  originally  used  to  denote  the 
service  or  form  employed  in  the  celebration  of  the  Eucharist. 
In  the  Eastern  Churches,  that  service  was  frequently  called 
the  "divine"  or  "mystical"  liturgy  ;  while  in  the  West,  though 
the  term  "liturgy"  was  used,  yet  the  name  of  "  missa"  was 
more  common.  At  the  present  day,  the  word  is  employed  to 
designate  the  ordinary  prescribed  service  of  the  Church,  either 
wither  without  the  Communion  Office. 

Much  has  been  said,  and  with  great  reason,  about  the  au- 
thority of  precomposed  forms,  and  their  obvious  advantages 
over  a  mere  extempore  effort.  Fn  the  first  place  there  are 
not  only  traces  of  them,  but  numerous  examples,  in  holy  writ ; 
and  it  would  be  safe  to  assert,  that  they  are  as  ancient  as  the 
Church  of  God.  The  song  of  Moses  on  the  overthrow  of 
Pharaoh  and  his  host,  was  evidently  a  form,  or  it  could  not 
have  been  sung  (as  it  was)  by  Moses  and  the  host  of  Israel. 
Surely  they  must  have  been  acquainted  beforehand  with  that 
sublime  anthem,  in  which  all  had  to  bear  a  part.  In  the 
book  of  Deuteronomy  we  have  a  form  of  prayer  enjoined  by 
God  himself,  to  be  used  in  the  case  of  a  man  found  slain  by 
an  unknown  hand.  By  the  same  divine  authority,  a  form  of 
blessing  was  appointed  to  be  used,  as  a  standing  order  of  the 


308  LITURGY. 

Church.  (Numbers  vi.  24,  25,  26.)  In  the  journeyings  of 
the  Israelites,  there  was  a  stated  form  used  by  Moses  on  the 
setting  forward,  and  also  on  the  resting  of  the  ark.  But  one 
of  the  most  remarkable  proofs  in  point,  is  the  book  of  Psalms, 
Avhich  is  a  collection  of  forms  used  in  the  temple  service. 
That  these  were  written  for  the  use  of  the  congregation,  as 
well  as  for  the  choirs,  appears  from  the  titles  of  several,  and  from 
the  responsive  character  of  others.  There  was  in  them  a  pe- 
culiar fitness  for  this  purpose;  and  they  contain  within  them, 
a  breadth  of  meaning,  a  compass  of  design,  which  is  as  limit- 
less as  the  emotions  of  the  soul  are  various.  The  Christian 
Church  received  these  from  the  Jewish,  and  has  delighted  in 
all  ages  to  continue  them  as  established  forms,  and  to  utter 
forth  her  praises  and  supplications  in  their  noble  language. 

That  the  service  of  the  Temple  was  mainly,  if  not  altogeth- 
er, conducted  by  set  forms,  is  a  fact  so  well  established  that  it 
needs  no  argument.  To  deny  it  would  be  to  reject  countless 
testimonies  and  proofs,  both  ancient  and  modern.  The  syna- 
gogue worship  was  also  by  a  prescribed  form,  the  prayers  of 
which  are  even  now  extant,  and  are  standing  proofs  of  this 
fact.  And  from  this  we  gather,  ihat  whenever  our  Savior 
Christ  atteni^ed  divine  worship  in  these  sacred  places,  he  must 
have  united  in  the  use  of  the  public  liturgies.  Asa  collateral 
proof  of  this,  it  is  observable  that  the  bitterest  enemies  of  our 
Lord  never  accuse  him  of  irregularity  in  undervaluing  or 
neglecting  the  ordinary  service,  which  would  have  been  one 
of  their  first  charges  against  him,  had  it  been  true.  And  on 
the  other  hand,  with  whatever  severity  he  inveighs  against 
ecclesiastical  abuses,  he  never  attacks  forms  of  prayer,  nor 
cautions  his  disciples  against  joining  in  them,  though  it  is 
manifest  that  they  did  this,  whenever  they  engaged  in  the  or- 
dinary public  services.  But  this  was  not  all.  Our  Lord 
actually  composed  a  form  of  prayer  at  the  request  of  hisdisci- 
ples,  and  gave  it  to  them  for  their  future  use.  His  disciples 
wished  for  a  form.     Now  here  would  have  been  a  fair  oppor- 


LTTURCxY.  309 

tunity  for  the  expression  of  his  disapprobation,  had  there  been 
reason  for  it.  But  though  it  hnd  been  a  standing  custom  with 
the  Jewish  doctors  to  furnish  their  pupils  with  such  forms, 
yet  Christ  did  not  number  it  with  the  corruptions  of  the 
Scribes  and  Pharisees,  but  sanctioned  it  with  his  best  approv- 
al, in  furnishing  his  disciples  with  the  form  called  the  Lord's 
Prayer. 

After  glancing  at  the  evidence  from  Scripture,  an  appeal 
may  be  made  to  the  practice  of  the  universal  Church;  and 
here  we  have  a  triumphant  argument  in  our  favor,  for  from 
the  earliest  ages  of  the  Christian  Church,  lilurgips,  or  forms 
of  prayer,  have  been  in  constant  use.  The  writings  of  the 
Fathers  abound  with  notices  of  them,  and  with  the  very  forms 
themselves.  Some  of  these  liturgies  bear  the  names  of  Mark, 
Peter,  and  James;  and  though  it  is  not  probable  that  they 
were  written  by  these  inspired  men,  yet,  that  they  were  used 
in  the  first  ages  of  the  Church,  is  unquestionable.  The 
liturgy  of  St.  James  was  well  known  by  St.  Cyprian  in  the 
early  part  of  his  life,  which  was  less  than  one  hundred  years 
after  the  death  of  St.  John.  Ancient  writers  bring  to  our 
notice  about  50  different  liturgies.  These  prevailed  in  all 
the  Churches,  and  were  the  standing  order  of  divine  wor- 
ship; while  on  the  other  side,  there  does  not  appear  any 
proof  that  public  extempore  prayer  was  known  in  the  services 
of  the  Church.  If  it  be  alleged,  that  though  precomposed 
prayers  were  in  use  at  a  very  early  date,  yet  they  were,  not- 
withstanding, an  innovation  on  the  original  mode  of  conduct- 
ing public  worship,  we  ask  for  the  evidence  of  such  a  re- 
markable change  as  is  here  implied.  It  is  undeniable,  that 
before  the  year  140  after  Christ,  liturgies  were  established 
throughout  the  universal  Church,  and  we  find  no  ancient 
writer  stigmatizing  them  as  an  usurpation,  and  urging  the 
greater  claims  of  the  extempore  method.  A  change  so 
remarkable  and  so  general  could  not  have  taken  place 
gilentlv, — there  would  necessarily  have  been  long  and  sharp 


310  LIXrRGY. 

contests  about  it.  Strange  it  is  that  those  who  advance  the 
plea,  do  not  show  us  the  warfare  ; — strange  that,  if  the  eccle- 
siastical world  had  thus  been  turned  upside  down,  the  van- 
quished made  no  complaint,  but  locked  up  their  griefs  in 
their  own  bosoms!  The  only  explanation  of  the  difficulty  is, 
that  no  such  change  ever  took  place.  Forms  of  prayer  were 
from  the  beginning;  and  we  can  now  lay  our  hand  on  the 
liturgies  which  were  used  in  the  early  Church.  We  have 
the  very  prayers  which  Christians  breathe4  out,  when  the 
Apostles  were  scarcely  cold  in  their  graves; — the  very 
prayers  which  were  uttered  by  the  martyrs,  whf n  put  to  death 
by  the  Roman  Emperors  in  the  first  ages, — which  armed  the 
souls  of  the  most  heroic  men — men  who  feared  not  torture, 
but  joyously  gave  up  their  lives  for  the  s;ike  of  Christ.  Let 
the  reader  now  balance  fact  against  hypothesis, — truth  against 
speculation,  and  he  cannot  fail  of  the  conclusion,  that,  pre- 
composed  prayers  have  been  coexistent  with  the  Church,  and 
are  supported  by  the  suffrages  of  Christ  and  his  Apostles, 
with  Bishops,  Martyrs,  Confessors,  and  the  concurrent  testi- 
mony of  the  universal  Church. 

If  forms  of  prayer  rest  on  such  authority,  it  might  seem 
idle  to  notice  objf^ctions:  but  for  the  sake  of  those  who  care 
little  for  authority,  a  remark  or  two  may  not  be  out  of  place. 

It  is  objected,  1st,  that  forms  destroy  or  impair  the  spirit 
of  prayer.  If  this  be  true,  then  Christ  himself,  and  the 
Apostles,  and  primitive  Christians,  were  less  devout  than  we 
have  been  accustomed  to  suppose,  and  the  true  spirit  of 
prayer  has  been  scantily  enjoyed  in  the  public  services  of 
the  Church  through  the  long  period  intervening  between  the 
dawn  of  Christianity  and  the  present  age.  Will  the  objector 
admit  this?  We  think  not;  and  yet  it  is  a  fair  consequence 
of  his  allegation.  But  further;  if  forms  are  injurious  to  de- 
votion, all  Christian  societies  are  exposed  to  the  same  bad 
influence.  For,  in  point  of  fact,  a  liturgy  is  not  more  a 
form,  than  a  public  extemporaneous  prayer.     The  one  is  a 


LITURGY.  311 

printed,  the   other  a  spoken,  form.     A  minister  may  use  a 
prayer  conceived  at  the  moment  of  utterance;  and  yet  this 
very  prayer  becomes  a  form  to  every  member  of  the  congre- 
gation, as  much  so  as  if  it  had   been  composed  and  printed 
long  before.     There  is  no  such  thing  in  public  use  as  abso- 
lute extempore   prayer.      We    will    retract  this  assertion  so 
soon  as  we  hear  of  a  congregation,  in  which  every  in  dividual 
makes  his  own  prayer,  without  following  the  leading  of  the 
minister  or  of  any  second  person.     This  would  be  bonajide 
extempore  prayer  ;  but  it  becomes  an  actual  form  the  mo- 
ment that  one  person  depends  on  the  language  of  another. 
And  such  extemporaneous  forms  as  are  in  use  by  dissenters, 
are  more  open  to  objection  than  an  established  liturgy  ;  for 
in  this,  every  one  knows  beforehand  the  nature  of  the  peti- 
tions to  be  offered,  and  has  opportunity  to  prepare  himself  to 
join  in  them  "  with  full  purpose  of  heart ;  "  while  in  the  other 
case,  the  mind  is  incessantly  distracted  with  a  torrent  of  new 
words  and  phrases,  all  of  which  must  pass  in  review  before 
the  judgment,  before  the  worshipper  can  be  in  a  condition  to 
give  his  assent.     We  should  say  then,  that  a  prescribed  form 
was  infinitely  more  favorable  to  the  cultivation  of  a  devotional 
spirit,  than  one  which  besets  the  hearer  with  a  constant  train 
of  novel  expressions,  and  places  him  in  the   attitude  of  a 
critic,  rather  than  that  of  an  humble  suppliant. 

2.  It  is  said  that  forms  engender  listlessness  and  spiritual 
languor,  while  extempore  prayers  excite  and  kindle  the  affec- 
tions. But  if  the  forms  alluded  to  be  those  of  the  Episcopal 
Church,  the  fault  must  be  in  the  worshipper  ;  for  those  forms 
abound  with  the  very  language  of  Scripture,  and  have  ani- 
mated the  souls  of  the  holiest  of  men,  yea,  even  at  the  scaf- 
fold and  the  stake.  Extempore  effusions  with  less  of  in- 
spiration about  them,  may  indeed  act  upon  the  feelings  and 
animal  sensibilities;  but  all  this  may  be  "strange  fire,"  and 
not  the  flame  of  true  devotion.  Dearer  far  than  this,  is  that 
profound  humility  which   should   distinguish   the   penitent, 


312 


LITURGY. 


bringing,  with  a  throbbing  heart,  his  lowly  petition  to  heaven's 
gate,  rather  than  approaching  the  Eternal  Presence  in  a 
transient  ecstacy,  kindled  up  by  the  force  of  human  eloquence, 
or  the  ghtter  of  a  poetical  fancy. 

It  is  only  necesjary  to  add,  that  while  the  Chinch  inter- 
dicts the  use  of  extempore  prayer  in  public  worship,  she  lays 
no  restraint  on  Christians  in  their  private  devotions.  Here 
there  is  less  danger  of  abuse,  and  therefore  all  are  free  to 
adopt  that  mode  which  they  best  approve.  Yet,  even  here, 
so  admirable  are  the  forms  of  devotion  which  have  emanated 
from  the  pens  of  the  saints  of  all  ages, — so  touching  their 
appeals  to  divine  grace, — so  felicitous  their  delineation  of 
every  possible  state  of  mind  which  a  believer  may  expeii- 
ence,  that  it  would  hardly  seem  reasonable  to  abandon  these, 
for  the  imperfect  and  sometimes  laborious  expressions  which 
the  moment  itself  may  suggest.  Every  pious  man  is  not 
gifted  with  ability  to  look  upon  and  depict  the  full  breadth  of 
his  actual  wants.  There  are  many,  who,  with  devotional 
feelings  of  the  highest  character,  are  notwithstanding,  inca- 
pable in  a  great  degree  of  declaring  those  very  desires  which 
reign  in  their  hearts.  In  the  pressing  abundance  of  their  in- 
ward thoughts,  they  have  no  definite  conception  of  words  and 
phrases,  in  which  to  appeal  to  the  mercy-seat  of  God  ;  and 
after  a  crude  and  wearisome  attempt,  often  rise  from  their 
knees  with  the  exclamation,  "  Surely  the  half  hath  not  been 
told  ?  "  These  persons,  in  the  soul-thrilling  supplications  of 
the  shining  lights  of  the  Church,  find  a  most  welcome  relief, 
and  an  invaluable  treasure.  And  through  the  aid  of  memory, 
they  are  provided  with  fervent  prayers  and  petitions,  suitable 
to  eveiy  variety  of  circumstance.  There  they  look  upon 
the  embodying  of  their  own  innermost  desires,  and  have  a 
double  joy,  in  this  provision  for  their  incompetency,  and  in 
the  assurance  of  a  community  of  experience  with  those  whom 
all  acknowledge  to  have  been  "'masters  in  Israel."  If  such 
advantages  attend  forms  for  private  use,  the  Church  stands 


LITURGY.  313 

nobly  vindicated  in  prescribing  them  for  her  public  services. 
No  other  aim  has  she,  than  the  glory  of  God  in  the  salvation 
of  man  ;  and  if  this  may  be  promoted  by  teaching  her  sons 
to  pray,  as  Christ  taught  his  disciples, — by  removing  the 
impediments  of  supplication,  and  multiplying  its  facilities, — 
by  withdrawing  all  temptations  to  vain-glory  and  personal 
display,  then  may  we  thank  God  for  the  "  goodly  heritage  " 
he  has  given  us  in  a  Church,  so  faithful  in  her  discipline,  so 
wise  in  her  counsels,  so  gentle  and  maternal  in  all  her 
ministrations. 

Liturgy,  History  of  the.  In  the  primitive  Church,  many 
of  the  liturgies  were  in  the  Syro-Chaklaic  and  Greek  lan- 
guages. But  at  the  period  immediately  preceding  the  Re- 
formation, the  form  in  use  was  in  Latin,  and  consisted  of 
translations  of  some  of  the  ancient  prayers,  combined  with 
others  of  a  later  date,  and  all  adapted  to  the  superstitions 
which  at  various  times  had  become  interwoven  with  the  ser- 
vices of  the  Church.  What  these  superstitions  were,  may 
still  be  seen  in  the  Roman  Breviary  and  Missal,  which 
abound  with  addresses  to  departed  saints — adoration  of  the 
host* — worship  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  of  images,  and  of  relics, 
with  many  other  things  of  a  like  nature.  This  form  of  ser- 
vice was  established  by  the  law  of  the  land  and  the  Canons 
of  the  Church,  and  thus  no  other  could  be  adopted  without 
censure  and  punishment.  The  fact  of  the  whole  being  in  a 
language  not  understood  by  the  people,  (with  the  exception 
of  those  who  had  the  benefit  of  a  learned  education)  was  in 
itself  an  obstacle  which  prevented  them  from  joining  with 
understanding  in  the  service,  and  from  deriving  any  con- 
siderable profit  of  a  spiritual  nature. 

At  the  Reformation,  therefore,  two  things  were  regarded 
as  peculiarly  necessary.     These  were,  1st,  the  translation 


*  The  bread  in  Ihc  Eucharist. 
27 


314  LITURGY. 

of  the  service  into  the  English  or  vulgar  tongue,  so  that  men 
might  "pray,  not  with  the  spirit  only,  but  with  the  under- 
standing also,"  agreeably  to  St.  Paul's  instructions ;  and  2d, 
the  purging  of  the  whole  from  those  things  which  were  super- 
stitious, and  which  had  no  tendency  to  edify  or  benefit  the 
people.  It  will  be  observed  that  our  Reformers  had  no  de- 
sign to  introduce  an  entirely  new  service^  but  to  purify  that 
which  had  come  down  from  the  primitive  Church,  and  restore 
it  to  that  scriptural  form  which  it  had  possessed  in  the  earliest 
and  best  ages.  The  Reformers  felt  that  it  was  both  unrea- 
sonable and  unjust  to  sweep  away  the  whole,  on  the  ground 
that  some  part  had  become  corrupt.  They  knew  too  well 
that  the  foundation  of  the  existing  liturgy  was  laid  in  Scrip, 
ture,  and  had  been  sanctioned  by  the  holiest  and  purest  of 
men.  They  went  about  this  work  with  no  furious  and  fanat- 
ical zeal ;  but  with  calmness  and  full  self-possession,  accu- 
rately weighing  all  that  was  before  them  in  "  the  balances  of 
the  sanctuary,"  and  retaining  only  such  portions  as  would 
survive  the  test,  and  outlive  the  most  thorough  and  well-judged 
scrutiny. 

The  first  step  in  this  work  was  the  appointment  of  a  com- 
mittee by  the  Convocation  in  the  year  1537,  to  compose  a 
book,  which  was  entitled,  "  The  godly  and  pious  institution 
of  a  Christen  man,"  containing  the  Lord's  Prayer,  the  Ave 
Maria,  the  Creed,  the  ten  commandments,  and  the  seven 
sacraments,  &c.  This  book,  whatever  errors  were  contained 
in  it,  was  yet  of  no  trifling  consequence  in  the  illumination 
of  the  public  mind.  In  the  years  1540  and  1543,  it  was  re. 
published,  with  corrections  and  alterations,  and  assumed  the 
new  title  of  "  A  necessary  doctrine  and  erudition  for  any 
Christen  man."  This  book  was  '■^  set  furthe  hy  the  King, 
with  the  advyse  of  his  Clergy  ;  the  hordes  hothe  spiriluall  and 
temporall,  with  the  nether  house  of  Parliament,  having  loth 
sene  and  lyked  it  very  well" 

In  the  year  1540,  under  Henry  VIII.,   a   committee  of 


LITURGY.  315 

Bishops  and  divines  was  appointed  to  reform  the  rituals  and 
offices  of  the  Church.  And  what  was  done  by  this  commit- 
tee, was  reconsidered  by  a  Convocation,  two  or  three  years 
afterwards,  viz.,  in  1542-3.  In  the  next  year,  the  King  and 
his  Clergy  ordered  the  prayers  for  processions  and  litanies 
to  be  translated  into  English,  and  to  be  publicly  used.  Finally, 
in  the  year  1545,  the  book  called  the  "  King's  Primer,'* 
was  published,  and  in  this  were  found  the  Lord's  Prayer,  the 
Creed,  the  ten  Commandments,  the  Venite,  the  Te  Deum,  and 
a  variety  of  other  hymns  and  Collects  in  English,  several 
of  which  are  in  the  same  version  in  which  we  now  use  them. 

So  far,  things  had  progressed  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII., 
relative  to  the  purification  of  the  service  of  the  Church. 
The  prudence  with  which  the  compilers  proceeded  cannot 
have  escaped  notice.  No  rashness  is  perceived  in  their  con- 
duct ;  but,  as  sound  judgment  dictated,  the  excrescences 
which  deformed  the  face  of  the  Church,  were  pruned  away, 
little  by  little,  without  injuring  the  original  and  beautiful 
features  themselves. 

In  the  first  year  of  Edward  VI.,  the  Convocation  declared 
that  the  Communion  ought  to  be  administered  to  all  persons 
under  "  hoth  kinds,""  *  and  an  act  of  Parliament  was  made, 
ordering  the  Communion  to  be  so  administered.  Immediately 
after  this,  a  number  of  Bishops  and  Clergy  were  appointed  to 
compose  an  uniform  order  for  the  administration  of  the 
Eucharist,  according  to  Scripture,  and  the  practice  of  the 
primitive  Church.  This  was  performed  in  a  iew  days  at 
Windsor  Castle  ;  and  the  same  persons,  in  the  following  year, 
entered  upon  a  still  nobler  work,  and  in  a  few  months  finished 
the  whole  Liturgy,  by  drawing  up  public  forms,  not  only  for 
Sundays  and  Holy-days,  but  for  Baptism,  Confirmation,  Matri- 
mony, Burial  of  the  Dead,  and  other  special  occasions,  in 


♦  In  the  Romish  Church  the  bread  only  is  given  to  the  laity. 


316  LITURGY. 

which  was  included  the  above  form  for  the  Communion  ;  and 
the  whole  book  being  thus  framed,  was  set  forth  by  the  com- 
mon agreement  and  full  assent  both  of  the  Parliament  and 
of  the  two  Convocations  of  the  Provinces  of  Canterbury  and 
York.  The  commissioners  who  were  appointed  to  this 
work,  were  13  in  number,  among  whom  were  Cranmer  and 
Ridley,  two  of  the  great  Martyrs  of  the  Reformation.  They 
entered  upon  their  task  in  May,  1548,  and  agreed  to  change 
nothing  for  the  sake  of  change,  but  merely  to  endeavor,  as 
far  as  circumstances  would  admit,  to  bring  every  thing  back 
to  the  standard  of  the  purer  ages  ojf  the  Gospel,  by  abolish, 
ing  the  erroneous  doctrines,  and  in  particular,  the  unnecessary 
ceremonies  which  Popery  had  introduced.  In  proceeding 
with  this  work,  they  carefully  examined  the  Breviaries,  Mis- 
sals  and  Rituals,  together  with  the  books  of  other  offices  at 
that  time  in  use.  These  they  compared  with  ancient  Litur- 
gies, and  the  writings  of  the  Fathers.  Whatever  they  found 
consonant  to  the  doctrine  of  Scripture,  and  the  worship  of 
early  Christian  Churches,  they  generally  retained,  and  fre- 
quently improved.  But  they  rejected  the  numerous  corrup- 
tions and  innovations  which  had  crept  in  during  the  darkness 
of  the  later  ages. 

Thus  that  excellent  Liturgy,  which  is  the  boast  of  our 
Church,  was  compiled  by  Martyrs  and  Confessors,  and  by 
other  Bishops  and  divines  of  profound  lc?.rning  and  piety. 
And  when  we  consider  the  purity  of  doctrine — the  freedom 
from  every  thing  superstitious — the  beauty  of  language,  and 
the  strong  devotional  character  with  whicli  it  is  pervaded,  we 
cannot  but  wonder  at  seeing  such  a  combination  of  excel- 
lencies come  forth  at  a  time  when  the  Church  was  but  just 
emerging  into  light ;  and  we  have  no  reason  to  doubt  the 
justice  of  the  declaration  made  at  the  time,  that  the  compilers 
must  in  a  special  manner  have  been  blessed  with  the  aid  of 
the  Holy  Ghost. 

The  Common  Prayer-book  we  have  now  been  describing, 


LITURGY.  317 

is  generally  known  by  the  title  of  "  the  first  book  of  Edward 
VI."  In  this  book,  the  morning  and  evening  services  began 
with  the  Lord's  Prayer,  at  the  place  where  it  occurs  in  our 
present  books.  A  number  of  rites  and  ceremonies  were  also 
retained  in  it,  such  as  the  use  of  oil  in  baptism — the  anoint, 
ing  of  the  sick — prayers  for  the  dead — the  mixing  of  water 
with  the  wine  of  the  Eucharist,  and  some  other  things  of  less 
importance.  The  book  had  not  been  published  more  than 
about  two  years,  before  some  exceptions  were  taken  at  these 
things,  as  savoring  too  much  of  superstition.  To  remove 
these  objections,  Archbishop  Cranmer  proposed  to  review  it, 
and  called  to  his  assistance  two  foreigners,  viz.,  Martin  Bucer, 
and  Peter  Martyr.  The  alterations  consisted  in  the  banish- 
ment of  the  above  mentioned  rites,  and  in  the  addition  of  the 
Sentences,  Exhortation,  Confession,  and  Absolution,  at  the 
beginning  of  morning  and  evening  prayer,  as  they  now  ap- 
pear. This  book  was  called  the  second  book  of  Edward  VI., 
and  is  nearly  the  same  with  that  now  in  use. 

During  the  succeeding  reign — that  of  Queen  Mary,  all 
that  had  been  done  was  swept  aside  to  make  way  for  the 
worship  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  which  she  was  determined 
to  restore.  Cranmer,  Ridley,  and  Latimer,  were  brought  to 
the  stake,  and  the  Reformation  in  England  was  threatened 
with  a  total  extinction. 

The  reign  of  tyranny  quickly  passed,  and  on  the  accession 
of  Elizabeth,  the  English  service  was  revived,  and  another 
review  of  the  Liturgy  was  proposed,  that  it  might  be  per- 
manently established  for  the  use  of  the  Church  of  England. 
No  very  material  alterations  were  made  at  this  review  ;  and 
the  general  satisfaction  which  was  given  by  the  authorized 
forms,  warranted  the  hope,  that  every  thing  objectionable  had 
now  been  purged  away,  and  that  no  further  revision  woul^ 
be  needed. 

But  in  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of  James  I.,  the  Puritans, 
who  had  now  become  very  numerous,  petitioned  for  a  reform 

27* 


318  LITURGY. 

of  what  they  considered  as  abuses  :  and,  in  consequence,  the 
King  appointed  a  conference  to  be  held  at  Hampton  Court, 
between  a  select  number  of  Bishops  and  divines  of  the 
Church,  and  the  principal  leaders  of  the  Dissenters,  the  King 
himself  being  present  to  hear  the  objections,  and,  if  neces- 
sary, to  make  such  alterations  as  might  satisfy  all  parties. 
But  their  objections  proved  to  be  so  exceedingly  unreason- 
able, that  all  hope  of  agreement  was  at  an  end.  Nothing 
more  appears  to  have  been  done,  than  the  insertion  of  a 
few  additional  Collects,  and  some  further  questions  at  the  end 
of  the  Catechism,  with  lesser  improvements  of  a  similar 
nature. 

Descending  to  the  time  of  Charles  II.,  we  come  to  a  mem- 
orable period  in  the  history  of  our  Liturgy,  when  the  des- 
cendants and  disciples  of  those  puritans  who  had  been  so 
clamorous  for  a  reform  of  ceremonies,  and  what  they  termed 
abuses,  in  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of  James  I.,  were  but 
too  successful  in  their  schemes  of  innovation.  These  rest- 
less persons,  upon  the  restoration  of  Charles  II.,  began  to 
devise  means  for  the  suppression  of  the  Liturgy,  or,  at  the 
least,  for  such  a  remodelling  of  it  as  would  have  amounted 
to  much  the  same  thing.  They  endeavored  to  prevail  upon 
the  King  to  discountenance  the  use  of  it  in  his  own  chapel. 
To  this  he  replied,  that  "  he  hoped  to  find  the  Liturgy  received 
in  many  places,  and  that  in  his  own  chapel  he  would  suffer  no 
other  form  of  worship."  Finding  themselves  disappointed  in 
this,  they  attacked  the  use  of  the  surplice,  and  begged  that  it 
might  be  immediately  discontinued.  The  King  again  re- 
pulsed them  with  the  reply,  that  "  the  surplice  had  always 
been  reckoned  a  decent  habit  ;  that  though,  for  the  present, 
he  might  be  obliged  to  connive  at  disorder,  he  would  never 
sanction  irregularity  by  his  own  practice,  nor  discountenance 
the  ancient  and  laudable  customs  of  the  Church  in  which  he 
had  been  educated."  For  more  than  fourteen  years,  during 
the  usurpation,  the  hierarchy  had  been  overthrown,  and  the 


LITURGY.  319 

Liturgy  laid  aside.  But  now,  the  Bishops  were  reinstated, 
and  the  Church  began  to  wear  a  gladdening  aspect.  In 
order  to  conciliate  as  much  as  possible  those  who  raised  ob- 
jections  to  the  Liturgy,  a  review  of  it  was  authorized,  and 
the  persons  selected  for  this  work  were  Episcopalians  and 
Presbyterians  in  equal  numbers,  there  being  twenty-one  of 
each.  These  were  enjoined  to  compare  the  Common  Prayer- 
book  with  the  most  ancient  Liturgies  that  had  been  used  in 
the  Church  in  the  purest  and  most  primitive  times.  They 
were  to  avoid,  as  much  as  possible,  all  unnecessary  alter- 
ations of  the  forms  and  Liturgy,  with  which  the  people  were 
so  well  acquainted,  from  their  having  been  so  long  received 
in  the  Church.  These  reviewers  had  many  meetings  at  Sa- 
voy, but  all  to  very  little  purpose.  The  conference,  finally, 
broke  up,  without  any  thing  done,  except  that  some  parti- 
cular alterations  were  made  by  the  Episcopal  divines,  and 
the  Office  for  the  Baptism  of  those  of  riper  years,  with  the 
form  of  prayer  to  be  used  at  sea,  and  a  few  less  material  ad- 
ditions, were  made.  These,  in  the  May  following,  were 
agreed  to  by  the  whole  body  of  Clergy,  and,  in  a  word,  the 
whole  Liturgy  was  then  brought  to  that  state  in  which  it 
now  stands  ;  and  was  unanimously  subscribed  by  the  houses 
of  Convocation  of  both  Provinces,  on  Friday  the  20th  of 
December,  1661. 

At  an  early  day  in  the  history  of  the  Episcopal  Church  in 
the  United  States,  it  was  found  necessary  to  revise  the  Lit- 
urgy, in  order  that  it  might  be  better  adapted  to  the  peculiar 
circumstances  of  the  nation  as  independent  of  the  British 
crown.  For  this  purpose,  in  a  Convention  at  Philadelphia, 
in  the  year  1785,  a  number  of  alterations  were  made,  and  a 
general  review  of  the  Prayer-book  was  begun,  for  the  re- 
moval of  local  allusions,  obsolete  expressions,  and  the  re- 
moulding  of  prayers  for  the  civil  authorities.  These  alter- 
ations were  afterwards  printed,  and  acquired  the  name  of 
"  the  proposed  book."     At  the  Convention  in  Wilmington, 


320  LITURGY. 

(Del.,)  in  October,  1786,  the  Nicene  Creed,  which  had  been 
omitted  in  the  proposed  book,  was  again  restored  by  general 
consent,  while  the  Athanasian  Creed  was  omitted.  In  1792, 
the  Ordinal  was  revised,  and  underv»'ent  a  few  alterations 
which  seemed  necessary  to  accommodate  it  to  local  circum- 
stances. At  the  Convention  of  1795  a  service  was  prescribed 
for  the  consecration  of  a  church  or  chapel.  This  is  substan- 
tially the  same  with  a  service  composed  by  Bishop  Andrews 
in  the  reign  of  James  I.,  and  now  used  in  the  Church  of 
England,  though  not  publicly  authorized.  In  1801,  the  sub- 
ject  of  the  Articles  was  finally  settled,  for,  after  repeated  dis. 
cussions  and  propositions,  it  had  been  found,  that  the  doctrines 
of  the  Gospel,  as  they  stand  in  the  39  Articles  of  the  Church 
of  England,  with  the  exception  of  such  matters  as  are  local, 
were  more  likely  to  give  general  satisfaction,  than  the  same 
doctrines  in  any  new  form  that  might  be  devised.  In  1804, 
an  Office  of  Institution  was  framed,  to  be  used  at  the  Induc- 
tion of  Ministers  to  the  Rectorship  of  Churches  ;  and  at  the 
Convention  of  1808,  thirty  hymns  were  added  to  the  book  of 
metre  psalms. 

Since  that  time,  the  Liturgy  has  had  no  additions  or  alter- 
ations  of  any  material  consequence,  excepting  the  increase  of 
the  number  of  hymns  to  212,  and  the  publication  of  a  selec- 
tion from  the  metre  psalms,  for  the  greater  convenience  -of 
both  Clergy  and  people. 

In  the  brief  sketch  here  given  of  the  history  and  progres- 
sive formation  of  our  Liturgy,  none  can  fail  to  notice  the  ex- 
quisite care  with  which  our  reformers  proceeded  step  by  step' 
from  its  beginning  to  its  completion.  It  was  not  the  offspring 
of  rash  and  furious  zeal, — there  was  no  hasty  and  indiscrim- 
inate rejection  of  every  thing  ancient,-^-but  calmness,  sound 
judgment,  fervent  piety,  and  scriptural  examination,  were  all 
united  in  this  great  and  noble  undertaking.  In  the  Liturgy 
we  have  the  very  words  in  which  some  of  the  most  saintly  of 
men  chose  to  breathe  out  their  devotions.     There  are  the 


LOR  321 

prayers  of  such  men  as  Chrysostom,  Gregory,  and  Cranmer, 
with  a  "noble  army"  of  others,  whose  names  are  high  in  the 
estimation  of  every  true  Christian.  And  there  we  have  the 
rich  and  heavenly  spirit  of  the  olden  time, — the  time  when 
men  "  walked  with  God,"  and  earnestly  contended  for  the 
faith  delivered  unto  them.  If  we  shall  ever  catch  the  fervor 
of  those  primitive  days,  will  it  not  be  when  the  incense  of 
prayer  is  offered  in  the  same  censer  of  antiquity?  Blame 
us  not,  then,  if  we  value  our  Liturgy.  It  embodies  the  an- 
thems  of  saints.  It  thrills  the  heart  with  the  dying  songs  of 
the  faithful.  It  is  hallowed  with  the  blood  of  martyrs.  It 
glows  with  sacred  fire.  Long  may  it  resound  in  the  temples 
of  the  crucified.  Loud  be  its  seraphic  strains.  Mighty  its 
swelling  chorus.  Eternal  the  angelic  hymn,  Gloria  in 
ExcELSis  Deo  ! 

"  Lively."  Living,  animated,  or  capable  of  communi- 
cating and  sustaining  life.  Hence  the  Scriptures  are  called 
"lively  oracles,"  and  in  the  Prayer  for  the  Church  Militant, 
the  "true  and  lively  Word."  In  like  manner,  by  the  ex- 
pression in  the  Catechism,  "  a  lively  faith  in  God's  mercy, 
through  Christ,"  will  be  understood,  a  vigorous  and  influen- 
tial belief  in  God  as  reconciled  to  us  by  the  death  of  his  Son, 
evidenced  by  a  submissive  and  glad  obedience  to  whatever 
He  has  commanded.  See  also  the  third  Exhortation  in  the 
Communion  Service. 

Living.  In  the  Church  of  England,  an  ecclesiastical  bene- 
fice, or  pastoral  charge. 

Lord's  day.  The  principal  festival  of  the  Christian 
Church,  held  in  memory  of  our  Lord's  resurrection,  and  the 
triumphant  evidence  here  given  of  the  completion  of  the 
work  of  redemption.  This  festival,  as  distinguished  from 
the  ancient  Sabbath,  has  been  observed  with  great  reverence 
from  the  earliest  ages  of  Christianity.  Under  the  title  of 
"the  first  day  of  the  week,"  it  is  several  times  alluded  to  in 
the  New  Testament,  and  was  doubtless  established  by  the 


322  lord's  day. 

Apostles  under  instruction  from  their  Divine  Master.  In 
Rev.  i.  10,  it  is  designated  "  the  Lord's  day,"  at  least  the 
obvious  presumption  is,  that  the  Apostle  John  here  referred 
to  the  first  day  of  the  week.  He  could  not  "  mean  the  Jew- 
ish  Sabbath,"  as  Bingham  remarks,  "  for  then  he  would  have 
called  it  so  :  nor  any  other  day  of  the  week,  for  that  had  been 
ambiguous,  but  the  day  on  which  Christ  arose  from  the  dead, 
on  which  the  Apostles  were  used  to  meet  to  celebrate  divine 
service,  on  which  Paul  had  ordered  collections  to  be  made, 
according  to  the  custom  of  the  primitive  Church.  Seeing, 
therefore,  he  speaks  of  this  as  a  day  well  known  and  used  in 
the  Church,  it  cannot  be  doubted,  but  that  it  was  distinguished, 
by  this  name  from  the  received  use  and  custom  of  the  Church. 
For  otherwise  how  could  Christians  have  understood  what 
St.  John  intended  to  signify  by  this  name,  if  he  had  designed 
to  denote  any  other  day  by  it  ?  "  It  does  not  appear  that  the 
name  of  "  Sabbath  "  was  given  to  this  day,  but  that  of  "  Sun- 
day"  was  freely  used  by  very  early  writers,  as  being  the 
ordinary  civil  designation  of  the  day,  and,  therefore,  intelli- 
gible to  all  parties.  It  is  used  by  Justin  Martyr,  Tertullian, 
Constantino,  Valentinian,  and  Theodosius,  interchangeably 
with  the  other  title  of  "Lord's  day." 

On  this  day  it  was  that  the  early  Christians  assembled  to- 
gether for  the  purpose  of  divine  worship,  and  the  celebration 
of  the  holy  Eucharist.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the 
Eucharist  was  administered  every  Lord's  day,  and  that  it 
formed  the  chief  part  of  the  primitive  services.  All  the  an- 
cient liturgies  are,  in  fact,  so  many  communion  offices,  and 
it  was  not  till  a  later  period,  that  the  Sunday  services  were 
accounted  complete,  without  the  participation  in  the  conse- 
crated mysteries  of  the  Eucharist. 

The  dignity  and  obligation  of  the  Lord's  day,  were  main- 
tained and  enforced  by  the  Canons  of  the  Church,  which  pro- 
hibited all  manual  labor,  public  amusements,  legal  proceed- 
ings, &c.,  (except  in  cases  of  necessity,)  and  required  all 


LOR  323 

Christians  to  be  present  at  divine  service,  under  peril  of  eccle- 
siastical censure,  and  even  excommunication,  if  contuma- 
cious. The  day  was  always  observed  as  a  festival  of  the 
most  joyous  and  animated  description,  and  fasting  was  ex- 
pressly prohibited,  even  on  those  Sundays  which  occurred  in 
the  season  of  Lent. 

The  reformed  Church  has  been  nobly  instrumental  in 
restoring  the  Lord's  day  to  that  eminence  which  it  main- 
tained in  the  primitive  age,  but  from  which  it  had  fallen  in 
some  degree  during  the  intervening  period.  Men  are  not 
generally  averse  to  the  appropriation  of  a  seventh  day  to  a 
cessation  of  their  ordinary  pursuits  and  occupations  ;  but  the 
difficulty  is  in  persuading  them  to  hallow  and  sanctify  that 
day,  as  eminently  "holy  unto  the  Lord."  Christians  haye 
always  grounded  this  on  divine  obligation,  while  others 
maintain  it  on  the  basis  of  simple  expediency.  By  the  one, 
it  has  been  consecrated  as  heaven's  own  gift ;  by  the  other, 
as  a  period  of  mere  relaxation,  fortunately  coinciding  with 
the  demands  of  physical  necessity.  To  correct  this  discre- 
pancy, the  Church  asserted  the  divine  obligation  of  the  day, 
contending  that,  as  God  had  spoken,  man  had  no  choice  but 
to  obey.  Yet,  in  detailing  the  mode  in  which  the  day  should 
be  observed,  she  has  studied  the  spiritual  benefit  of  her  chil- 
dren by  general  laws,  rather  than  their  annoyance  by  such 
judaical  enactments  as  were  put  in  force  by  puritanical  off- 
sets  from  her  communion.  It  is  honorable  to  the  Church 
that  in  this,  as  in  other  things,  she  has  kept  the  middle  path 
of  truth,  by  requiring  her  sons  to  sanctify  the  day  as  a  time 
of  serene  and  heavenly  enjoyment,  equally  removed  from  the 
abuses  of  secular  mirth  on  the  one  hand,  and  of  morose  asce- 
ticism on  the  other. 

Lord's  prayer.  That  admirable  form  of  devotion  which 
was  composed  by  our  Blessed  Lord,  at  the  request  of  his  dis- 
ciples. That  it  was  designed  to  be  used  as  a  standing  form, 
and  was  so  used  by  the  apostles  and  early  disciples,  can 


324  lord's  prayer.    . 

scarcely  be  doubted  ;  and  that  it  was  in  general  use  in  the 
primitive  Church,  is  apparent  from  the  testimonies  of  a  cloud 
of  witnesses.  A  few  of  these  we  shall  cite.  Tertullian, 
who  flourished  about  the  year  200,  says,  "  our  Lord  gave  his 
new  disciples  of  the  New  Testament,  a  new  form  of  prayer." 
He  calls  it  "  the  prayer  appointed  by  Christ,"  and  the  "  ordi- 
nary or  customary  prayer,  which  is  to  be  said  before  our  other 
prayers  ;  and  upon  which,  as  a  foundation,  our  other  prayers 
are  to  be  built."  St.  Cyprian,  who  died  about  150  years 
after  the  Apostles,  tells  us  that  "  Christ  himself  gave  us  a 
form  of  prayer,  and  commanded  us  to  use  it ;  because,  when 
we  speak  to  the  Father  in  the  Son's  words,  we  shall  be  more 
easily  heard."  St.  Chrysostom,  who  flourished  about  300 
years  after  St.  John,  calls  it  "  the  prayer  enjoined  by  laws, 
and  brought  in  by  Christ."  St.  Augustine  says,  that  "  we 
cannot  be  God's  children,  unless  we  use  it ; "  and  an  endless 
number  of  other  Bishops  and  writers  declare  that  this  was 
given  as  a  form  of  prayer,  and  that  we  are  commanded  to 
use  it  as  such.  So  far  then,  we  see  on  what  abundant 
authority  the  Church  rests,  in  her  frequent  use  of  the  Lord's 
prayer. 

But  besides  this,  the  prayer  itself  is  so  divine  and  perfect 
that  none  more  complete  and  authoritative  can  be  conceived. 
It  was  framed  by  one  who  was  equally  familiar  with  the  ex- 
tent of  our  wants,  and  the  inexhaustible  fulness  of  the  God- 
head. Li  point  of  conciseness,  simplicity,  and  pathos,  it 
stands  unrivalled.  Though  our  Lord  could  have  brought  into 
use  all  the  powers  of  brilliant  language,  sublime  thought,  and 
eloquent  appeal,  yet  he  calmly  rejects  them  all,  and  as  a  les- 
son to  his  disciples  in  the  Church  of  the  future,  adopts  the 
plainest  ideas,  and  employs  the  simplest  expressions  imagin- 
able.  In  this  concise  prayer,  it  is  to  be  remarked,  that  he 
not  only  establishes  the  use  of  a  form,  but  draws  this  very 
form  from  the  liturgies  then  in  use  ;  for  almost  every  word 
and  phrase  of  the  Lord's  Prayer  may  be  traced  in  the  forms 


LUK  325 

anciently  employed  by  the  Jews.  Our  Lord  was  not  ashamed 
of  liturgies,  nor  of  planting  that  fruitful  seed,  which  (as  th 
event  has  proved)  has  germinated,  grown,  and  expanded  it- 
self  into  the  liturgies  which  now  give  a  protecting  shadow  to 
the  Church  Catholic.  Long  may  we  be  grateful  for  this  sa- 
cred  boon,  making  it  the  model  of  our  frequent  supplications. 
This  the  Church  has  enjoined,  "  nothing  terrified  "  by  the 
charge  of  a  superstitious  adherence  to  her  pattern,  or  the 
fear  of  being  guilty  of  "  vain  repetitions."  The  words  of 
Him  who  died  for  us,  are  too  dear  to  be  overruled  by  the 
dread  of  man's  rebuke, — too  sacred  to  give  place  to  the  mo- 
mentary effusions  of  even  the  best  endowed  among  sinful 
men.  Other  words  we  may  and  do  employ,  as  Christ,  the 
Apostles,  and  the  Christians  of  all  times  and  places,  have 
done  before  us  ;  but  wo  to  the  Church  which  will  not  pray  as 
the  Redeemer  taught  his  disciples, — which  brings  its  own 
complacent  petition  to  the  throne  of  mercy,  and  forgets  "  the 
effectual  fervent  prayer  "  of  the  great  Intercessor  between 
God  and  man. 

Lord's  Supper.     See  Comiviunion,  Holy. 

"Loud  Voice."     See  "Audible  Voice." 

Low -Sunday.  It  was  a  custom  among  the  ancients,  upon 
the  first  Sunday  after  Easter-day,  to  repeat  some  parts  of  the 
solemnity  of  that  great  festival  ;  from  whence  this  Sunday 
took  the  name  of  Low-Sundaj  ,  being  celebrated  as  a  feast, 
though  of  a  lower  degree  than  Easter-day  itself. 

St.  Luke  the  Evangel  st.  A  Holy-day  is  appointed  by 
the  Church  for  the  commemoration  of  this  distinguished 
Evangelist.  He  was  born  at  Antioch,  where  there  flourished 
schools  of  the  liberal  sciences.  In  these  Luke  received  his 
education  ;  and  having  completed  his  preliminary  studies, 
applied  himself  to  the  study  and  practice  of  medicine.*     He 


*  The  f  )llavvincT  observations  on  this  point  by  the  author  of  the  "  Gold 
Hea.Jed  Cane,"  are  too  good  to  be  omitted  ;  — 

•'  1  have  lately  been  readinjj  the  Gospel  of  St.  Luke,  and  I  need  not 
28 


326  LXX 

was  "  the  beloved  physician  "  particularly  mentioned  by  St. 
Paul,  and  "  the  brother  whose  praise  is  in  the  gospel."  After 
laboring  with  St.  Paul,  and  accompanying  him  to  Rome,  he 
wrote  the  gospel  which  bears  his  name.  Subsequently  to  this 
he  penned  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  Little  is  known  re- 
specting the  sphere  of  his  ministrations.  It  is  affirmed  by 
some  that  he  visited  Gaul,  Italy  and  Macedonia  :  by  others, 
that  on  leaving  Rome  he  returned,  to  the  East,  and  from 
thence  went  to  Africa,  and  converted  the  Thebans  to  the 
faith.     That  he  finally  suffered  martyrdom,  all  are  agreed. 

LXX.  An  abbreviation  for  the  "Seventy,"  or  Septua- 
gint  translation  of  the  Old  Testament.  The  Septuagint,  or 
Greek  version  of  the  ancient  Hebrew  Canon,  takes  its  name 
from  the  number  of  persons  employed  in  preparing  it,  which 
is  generally  stated  at  70,  though  in  reality  72.  The  work 
was  accomplished  under  Ptolemy  Philadelphus,  more  than 
two  hundred  years  before  Christ. 

The  sign  LXX  is  also  used  occasionally  by  the  old  divines 
for  the  seventy  disciples  of  our  Lord. 


point  out  to  a  scholar  like  yourself  and  one  who  has  paid  so  much  atten- 
tion to  what  I  may  Ce^U  the  medical  history  of  the  Bible,  how  much  nearer 
the  language  of  St  Luke  vvho  was  by  profession  a  physician,  comes  to 
the  anci<  nt  standard  of  classict.1  Greek  than  that  cf  the  other  Evangelists. 
To  be  sure,  it  has  a  mixture  of  the  Syriac  phrase,  which  may  be  easily 
allowed  in  one  who  was  born  a  Syrian  •,  yet  the  reading  of  Greek  authors, 
■while  he  studied  medicine,  made  his  language  without  dispute  more 
exact.  His  style  is  sometimes  even  very  flowing  and  florid,— as  when, 
in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  he  describes  the  voyage  of  St.  Paul  •  and 
when  he  has  occasion  to  speak  of  distempers,  or  the  cure  of  them,  you 
must  have  observed  thai  he  makes  use  of  words  more  projjer  for  the 
subject  than  the  others  do.  It  is  besides,  remarkable,  that  St.  Luke  is 
more  particular  in  reciting  all  the  miracles  of  our  Savior  in  relation  to 
healing  than  the  other  Evangelists  aie  ;  and  that  he  gives  us  one  history, 
■which  is  omitted  by  the  rest,  viz:— that  of  raising  the  widow's  son,  at 
Nain." 


827 


M. 


Magnificat,  or  Song  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary.  In  the 
English  Prayer-book,  one  of  the  hymns  appointed  to  be  said 
or  sung  after  the  1st  Lesson  in  Evening  Service.  It  consists 
of  the  song  recorded  in  Luke,  i.  46,  &c.,  beginning,  "  My 
soul  doth  magnify  the  Lord,  and  my  spirit  hath  rejoiced  in 
God  my  Savior."  In  the  American  Liturgy  it  has  given 
place  to  the  first  four  verses  of  the  92d  Psalm,  probably  on 
the  ground  of  the  latter  being  thought  more  generally  suit- 
able to  the  purposes  of  public  worship. 

"  Majestic  manner."  In  the  Preface  to  the  Prayer-book, 
after  recounting  the  labor  spent  in  bringing  the  Liturgy  to 
its  present  state  of  perfection,  God's  blessing  is  invoked  on 
every  endeavor  for  promulgating  the  truths  of  the  Gospel, 
&c.,  "  in  the  clearest,  plainest,  most  affecting,  and  majestic 
manner,^'' — evidently  referring  to  that  dignity,  awe,  and  sa- 
cred reverence  which  should  ever  characterize  the  worship 
of  God,  and  the  proclamation  of  divine  truth. 

Manual.  A  book  sufficiently  portable  to  be  carried  by 
hand.  The  term  probably  originated  when  books  were  gene- 
rally of  far  more  ponderous  dimensions  than  at  the  present 
day.  By  usage,  the  word  now  signifies  a  small  treatise, 
book  of  devotions,  or  elementary  work,  fitted  for  general  use, 
and  convenient  reference. 

St.  Mark's  day.  This  day  is  designed  for  the  comme- 
moration  of  the  Evangelist  Mark.  As  there  are  several 
persons  of  this  name  in  the  New  Testament,  some  difficulty 
has  arisen  in  determining  which  of  them  was  the  Evangel- 
ist. If  we  take  the  decision  of  antiquity,  it  will  be  in  favor 
of  Mark  the  convert,  or  son,  as  he  is  called,  of  St.  Peter.  It 
has  always  been  understood  that  the  Gospel  which  bears  the 
name  of  Mark,  was  written  under  the  inspection  of  St.  Peter ; 


328  MAS 

and  as  Mark  accompanied  the  Apostle^  in  his  labors  and 
travels,  abundant  opportunity  was  thus  afforded. 

A  Christian  Church  was  established  in  Alexandria,  by  the 
Evangelist  Mark,  of  which  he  became  the  first  Bishop. 

Martinmas.  A  festival,  formerly  kept  on  the  11th  of 
November,  in  honor  of  St.  Martin,  Bishop  of  Tours,  in  France, 
who  after  distinguishing  himself  by  destroying  the  heathen 
altars  and  images  remaining  in  his  day,  died  in  the  year  400, 
having  been  Bishop  about  26  years. 

Martyr.  One  who  has  suffered  death  for  the  sake  of 
Christ  and  his  religion.  The  holy  Apostles,  who  were  sent 
forth  by  our  Blessed  Redeemer  to  preach  the  Gospel,  and 
make  disciples  in  all  nations,  were  many  of  them  called  to 
suffer  death  for  his  sake.  Many  also  of  those  who  were  con- 
verted to  the  faith  by  their  labors,  were  called  to  give  the 
same  testimony  to  the  power  of  the  Gospel.  The  first  of 
these  in  the  Christian  Church  was  St.  Stephen.  His  memory 
is  celebrated  on  the  day  which  bears  his  name.  In  the  Col- 
lect for  that  day,  he  is  expressly  named  the  "  first  martyr  St. 
Stephen,"  and  we  are  there  taught  to  pray  God,  that  we  may 
"  learn  to  love  and  bless  our  persecutors,  by  following  this 
blessed  Martyr's  example."  The  Church  loves  to  dwell  on 
the  memory  of  those  who  have  yielded  up  even  their  lives  in 
a  faithful  attachment  to  their  Redeemer,  and  who,  from  the 
midst  of  the  fires,  could  rejoice  in  God  and  trust  in  his  grace. 
In  that  beautiful  hymn,  the  Te  Deum,  their  memory  is  cele- 
brated in  the  words, — "  The  noble  army  of  martyrs,  praise 
thee."  And  well  may  they  be  counted  "an  army,''^  whether 
we  consider  their  numbers  or  their  valor  ;  and  a  "  nohle 
army,"  because,  as  true  soldiers  of  Christ,  these  have  fought 
against  sin  with  their  lives  in  their  hands,  and  in  the  Apos- 
tolic phrase,  "  have  resisted  unto  blood." 

Mary,  Virgin.     See  Virgin  Mary. 

Mass.  In  the  Romish  Church,  the  ritual  or  communion 
office.     The  name  is  derived  from  the  words  "  Missa  est," 


MAT 


329 


i.  c,  you  are  dismissed,  which  expression  was  used  in  the  an- 
cient  Church,  as  a  notice  to  the  catechumens  to  retire,  on  the 
commencement  of  the  celebration  of  the  communion.  When 
the  prayers  are  merely  read  without  chanting,  it  is  called 
Low  Mass  ;  but  when  chanted  or  sung  by  the  priest,  with 
the  assistance  of  a  deacon  or  sub-deacon,  it  is  denominated 
a  High  or  Grand  Mass.  The  word  occurs  in  the  31st  Article 
of  Religion,  where  the  notion  that  in  the  Mass  there  is  a  true 
propitiatory  sacrifice,  is  condemned  as  a  "  blasphemous  fable 
and  dangerous  deceit." 

Matins.  The  ancient  name  for  early  morning  prayers, 
which  usually  began  about  day-break. 

"  The  hours  of  prayer  in  the  ancient  Church  of  England," 
says  Palmer,  "  were  seven  in  number,  viz  : — Matins,  the  1st 
or  Prime,  the  3d,  6th,  and  9th  hours,  vespers,  and  compline. 
The  office  of  Matins,  or  morning  prayer,  according  to  the 
Church  of  England,  is  a  judicious  abridgment  of  her  ancient 
services  for  Matins,  Lauds,  and  Prime." 

Matrimony.  That  this  holy  state  was  of  divine  institu- 
tion, is  not  only  evident  from  the  Scriptures,  but  may  be  in- 
ferred from  the  fact  that,  in  all  nations  and  ages  of  the  world, 
religious  ceremonies  have  been  used  at  its  celebration,  which 
can  only  be  accounted  for,  by  ascribing  to  them  a  common 
origin,  and  that  of  a  holy  and  sacred  nature. 

Under  the  Christian  dispensation,  the  solemnizing  of  mar- 
riage was  at  first  considered  as  belonging  exclusively  to  the 
ministers  of  the  Church,  and  few  exceptions  are  found  to  this 
rule.  The  aspect  which  marriage  assumes  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament, and  its  important  bearing  on  the  spiritual  interests  of 
the  Church,  were  a  sufficient  justification  of  this,  and  hence, 
the  ancient  Church  of  England  insisted  on  the  propriety,  if 
not  the  obligation,  of  a  celebration  of  the  rite  by  persons  in 
holy  orders. 

At  the  present  day,  the  laws  of  England  and  the  United 
States  regard  marriage  as  "  a  civil  contract  by  which  a  man 

28* 


330  MATRIMONY. 

and  woman  mutually  engage  to  live  together  as  man  and 
wife."  In  few  religious  acts  do  the  civil  laws  interpose  a 
modifying  influence  more  imperative  than  in  that  of  mar- 
riage. These  are  to  be  respected  and  regarded  ;  but  yet  the 
private  convictions  of  the  great  body  of  Christians  are  in  fa- 
vor of  the  sacred  nature  of  the  institution,  and  therefore 
generally  provide  for  its  celebration  under  the  form  of  a  reli- 
gious ceremony.  In  the  Episcopal  Church,  the  rubrics  to 
the  matrimonial  service,  enjoin  a  regard  to  the  civil  laws  per- 
taining  to  marriage  in  the  various  Dioceses  ;  and  these  being 
complied  with,  the  form  of  celebration  as  a  religious  rite,  is 
set  forth  by  her  authority. 

The  form  prescribed  is  one  of  great  beauty  and  impres- 
siveness,  remarkable  for  the  unity,  regularity,  and  complete- 
ness of  its  structure,  and  not  the  less,  for  that  tranquil  air  of 
affection,  and  deep  solemnity,  with  which  it  is  thoroughly 
pervaded.  The  union  of  so  many  admirable  qualities,  in  a 
form  of  such  brevity  and  compactness,  should  interpose  a 
check  against  the  slightest  mutilation  or  abridgment  of  it  ; 
especially  when  it  is  remembered,  that  the  Clergy  are  not  at 
liberty  to  comply  with  a  request  to  that  effect,  without  the 
express  sanction  of  the  General  Convention. 

The  Marriage  Service  opens  with  a  solemn  demand,  ad- 
dressed to  the  witnesses,  and  then  to  the  parties  themselves, 
that  if  any  impediment  is  known  why  the  marriage  should 
not  proceed,  it  is  there  and  then  to  be  declared,  by  those  ac- 
quainted with  it.  After  this  follows  the  declaration  of  mutual 
consent,  similar  to  what  was  formerly  called  the  Espousals, 
and  which  was  originally  a  distinct  service  or  form,  pre- 
ceding the  actual  marriage  by  many  weeks  or  months.  It  is 
important  to  observe,  that  this  pai't  of  the  office  is  chiefly 
designed  to  give  assurance  to  the  Minister  and  others,  that  the 
parties  are  mutually  agreed, — that  there  is  no  collusion,  arti- 
fice, or  fraudulent  proceeding  in  the  case  ;  but  it  is  by  no 
means  to  be  confounded  with  the  essential  part  of  the  cere- 


MAT  331 

mony,  which  follows  immediately  after.  The  one  is  an  ex- 
pression of  consent  to  he  married,  and  is  therefore  worded 
in  the  future, — "  I  will "  have  this  woman,  or  this  man,  &c.  : 
the  other  is  the  actual  marriage,  and  is  in  the  present 
tense,- — "  I  M.  take  thee  N.  to  my  wedded  Wife,"  (or 
"Husband,")  &c. 

Between  these  two  forms  stands  a  ceremony  of  very  great 
antiquity.  The  Minister,  after  asking,  "Who  giveth  this 
Woman  to  be  married  to  this  Man  ?  "  receives  the  woman 
"at  her  Father's  or  Friend's  Hands."  The  antiquity  of  this 
rite  is  evident  from  the  phrase  so  often  used  in  Scripture,  of 
giving  a  daughter  to  luife ;  and  the  universality  of  it  appears 
from  its  being  used  both  by  Heathens  and  Christians  in  all 
ages.* 

After  the  marriage,  a  symbol  or  pledge  is  given  by  placing 
a  ring  on  the  woman's  fourth  finger.  Of  this  we  shall  speak 
under  the  head  of  Ring  :  and  for  a  remark  on  a  word  occur- 
ring in  this  part  of  the  service.  See  Endow. 

The  remainder  of  the  Office  consists  of  prayers  for  God's 
blessing  on  the  parties  now  joined  together  ; — the  ratification 
by  the  joining  of  hands  ; — the  proclamation  of  the  validity  of 
the  marriage  ;  and  the  final  blessing,  with  a  supplication  for 
divine  protection  in  this  life,  and  eternal  happiness  in  the 
next.     See  Bans,  Plight,  and  Troth. 

St.  Matthew's  day.  St.  Matthew,  the  Apostle  whom  the 
Church  on  this  day  commemorates,  was  called  to  the  disciple- 
ship,  last  of  all  the  twelve. 

He  was  by  profession  a  publican,  or  in  our  language,  a 
custom-house  officer,  under  the  master  Publicanus,  who 
farmed  the  revenues  from  the  Roman  state. 

"  St.  Matthew  was  employed  to  collect  the  duties  laid  on 
the  fishing. trade,  in  the  lake  of  Tiberias  :  and  sitting  at  the 
receipt  of  custom,  where  he  might  have  a  clear  view  of  ships 

*  Wbeatly. 


332  MATT 

and  their  lading,  our  Savior  passing  by,  saw  him  in  the  ex- 
ecution of  his  office.  And  notwithstanding  the  miracles 
which  Jesus  wrought  in  the  country  about  Capernaum  might 
probably  make  some  impressions  on  him  ;  yet  so  visible  was 
the  wonderful  efficacy  of  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God  in  his  con- 
version, that  our  Savior  said  nothing  more  than,  Follow  me. 
And  he  arose  and  followed  him  accordingly,  without  the 
least  hesitation." 

This  Apostle  wrote  his  Gospel  about  eight  years  after 
Christ's  ascension,  just  before  the  Apostles  dispersed  them, 
selves  to  carry  the  Gospel  into  foreign  parts.  The  province 
assigned  to  St.  Matthew  for  the  exercise  of  his  ministry,  was 
Ethiopia,  from  whence  it  does  not  appear  that  he  ever  return. 
ed,  but  probably  suffered  martyrdom  there. 

St.  Matthias's  day.  This  day  is  kept  by  the  Church  in 
commemoration  of  St.  Matthias.  It  is  most  probable  that  he 
was  one  of  the  seventy  disciples  :  this  is  expressly  affirmed 
by  Eusebius  and  St.  Jerome.  After  the  death  of  Judas,  he 
was  chosen  by  lot  into  the  number  of  the  Apostles.  His 
ministrations  were  given  to  one  of  the  Ethiopias,  where  he 
suffered  martyrdom.  The  mode  of  his  death  rests  chiefly 
on  an  allusion  in  a  Greek  hymn,  from  which  it  seems  probable 
that  he  was  crucified. 

Maundy  Thursday.  The  Thursday  before  Easter,  be- 
ing the  day  on  which  our  Lord  instituted  the  holy  Sacrament 
of  his  body  and  blood.  The  name  of  Maundy,  Maunday, 
or  Mandate,  (Dies  Mandati,)  is  said  to  have  allusion  to  the 
mandate  or  new  commandment  which,  on  this  day,  Christ  gave 
to  his  disciples,  that  they  should  love  one  another,  as  he  had 
loved  them.  It  has  also  been  supposed  by  others  that  the 
name  arose  from  the  maunds  or  baskets  of  gifts,  which,  at 
this  time,  it  was  an  ancient  custom  for  Christians  to  j5resent 
one  to  another,  in  token  of  that  mutual  affection  which  our 
Lord  so  tenderly  urged,  at  this  perix)d  of  his  sufferings, — and 
as  a  remembrancer  of  that  "  inestimable  gift "  of  Christ,  to  be 


MEM  333 

our  spiritual  food  in  the  Sacrament  of  his  body  and  blood. 
Says  a  writer  of  the  age  of  Wiclif,  "  Christ  made  his  maundy 
and  said,  Take  eat,"  &;c. 

"  The  Gospel  for  this  day  is  peculiarly  proper  to  the  time, 
as  it  treats  of  our  Savior's  Passion.  The  Epistle  contains 
an  account  of  the  institution  of  the  Lord's  Supper  ;  the  con- 
stant celebration  of  which,  both  in  the  morning  and  in  the 
evening,  after  supper,  rendered  that  portion  of  Scripture  very 
suitable  to  the  day." 

Member,  Church.  One  who,  by  the  sacrament  of  bap- 
tism, has  been  initiated  into  the  Church.  We  have  no  further 
object  in  here  noticing  the  term,  than  to  remind  the  reader  of 
the  impropriety  of  confounding  it  with  that  of  "  Communi- 
cant," the  customary  designation  of  one  who  partakes  of  the 
Lord's  Supper.  In  some  religious  societies  these  are  con- 
vertible terms,  though  in  contrariety  to  their  own  standards. 
Hence,  those  who  are  baptized  in  infancy  are  not  usually 
known  as  "  members  of  the  Church,"  till  in  a  public  profes- 
sion they  are  admitted  to  the  Lord's  Supper,  or,  as  the  phrase 
is,  till  they  have  "joined  the  Church."  The  popularity  of 
such  erroneous  language  is  no  apology  for  it,  when  the  merest 
glance  at  the  New  Testament  may  convince  any  one  that 
haptism  is  the  only  initiatory  rite  known  in  the  Christian 
Church  ;  and  consequently,  that  a  baptized  person,  whether 
an  actual  communicant  or  not,  is  a  "  member"  of  the  Church, 
having  "joined"  that  sacred  fellowship  already,  by  the  sacra, 
ment  instituted  for  that  purpose.  From  this  it  follows,  that 
when  inquiry  is  made  relative  to  the  number  of  "  members  " 
in  any  Church,  reference  should  be  had  to  the  list  of  the  bap- 
tized,  and  not  to  that  of  the  communicants,  if  a  correct  an- 
svyer  is  to  be  given. 

"  Memory."  In  the  prayer  of  Consecration  in  the  Com- 
munion service,  this  word  has  the  sense  of  "  remevibrance  " 
or   ^^  memoriciL^'     " — — did  institute,  and  command  us  to 


334  MIL 

continue  a  perpetual  memory  of  that  his  precious  death  and 
sacrifice,"  &c. 

Metropolitan.  In  the  ancient  Church,  the  Bishop  of  the 
metropolis,  to  whom  was  conceded  certain  powers  of  jurisdic- 
tion over  the  other  Bishops  of  the  province  or  district  around. 
The  office  was  originally  one  of  mere  superintendence,  but 
by  degrees  became  aggrandized  by  the  appropriation  of  rights 
belonging  to  the  episcopate  in  genera]  ;  thus,  the  consecra- 
tion of  Bishops  both  for  his  own  and  the  neighboring  prov- 
inces— the  summoning  of  provincial  synods — the  hearing  of 
appeals  from  the  other  Bishops,  &c.,  &;c.,  came,  at  an  early 
period,  to  be  among  the  special  prerogatives  of  a  Metro- 
politan. 

In  the  Church  of  England  the  title  is  still  given  to  the 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  together  with  a  portion  of  the 
above  privileges. 

St.  Michael  and  all  angels.  "  This  festival  is  celebrated 
by  the  Church,  in  thanksgiving  to  God  for  the  benefits  we 
receive  by  the  ministry  of  the  holy  Angels. 

As  this  St.  Michael  is  recorded  in  Scripture  as  an  Angel 
of  great  power  and  dignity,  presiding  and  watching  over  the 
Church  of  God,  with  a  particular  vigilance  and  application, 
and  triumphing  over  the  devil,  it  therefore  bears  his  name." 

The  festival  of  St.  Michael  and  All  Angels  has  been  kept 
with  great  solemnity  by  the  Christian  Church  since  the  fifth 
century,  and  was  certainly  celebrated  in  Apuleia  as  early  as 
the  year  493. 

Michaelmas.  The  festival  of  St.  Michael  and  all 
ANGELS,  which  See. 

Militant.  The  Church  on  earth  is  styled  "  militant,"  be- 
cause  it  is  in  a  state  of  warfare  with  sin,  the  world,  and  the 
devil.  Hence  Christians  are  known  as  "  soldiers  of  Christ," 
and  are  exhorted  to  "  put  on  the  whole  armor  of  God,"  and 
to  "  fight  manfully  "  under  the  banner  of  the  Captain  of  sal- 
vation.    From  these  foes,  and  from  all  the  dangers  which 


MIS  835 

here  harass  the  servants  of  Christ,  the  Church  in  heaven  is 
free,  and  is  therefore  denominated  the  Church  triumphant. 

"MiNiSHED."  An  obsolete  word,  sometimes  occurring  in 
the  Prayer-book.  Thus,  in  Psalm  xii.  1,  "  the  faithful  are 
minishcd  from  among  the  children  of  men,"  that  is,  "  the 
faithful  are  become  very  few,  or  are  scarce  or  diminished  in 
number."     See  also  Psalm  cvii.  39. 

Minister.  One  who  is  lawfully  called  and  ordained  to  the 
office  of  a  Bishop,  Priest,  or  Deacon,  in  the  Church  of  God. 
It  is  a  general  title,  applicable  to  any  of  those,  whatever  may 
be  their  rank  or  degree,  who  have  authority  to  preach, — ad- 
minister the  Sacraments,  and  perform  the  other  services  of 
God's  house. 

Ministry.  In  the  Scriptures  and  the  Prayer-book,  this 
term  frequently  denotes  the  clerical  office  and  its  appropriate 
functions,  as  for  example,  "  the  ministry  of  reconciliation  ;  " 
"  make  full  proof  of  thy  ministry ;  "  "  seeing  we  have  this 
ministry,  we  faint  not."  Sometimes  also  it  is  used  for  the 
persons  invested  with  the  sacred  office,  and  in  this  sense  is 
of  the  same  import  as  the  word  "Clergy."  In  the  second 
Collect  for  Good  Friday  it  is  used  in  its  widest  signification 
to  embrace  the  duties  and  employment  of  all  Christians  as 
agents  in  the  spiritual  service  of  the  Church; — "that  every 
member  of  the  same,  in  his  vocation  and  ministry,  may  truly 
and  godly  serve  thee,"  &c. 

Missal.  In  the  Romish  Church,  a  book  containing  the 
services  of  the  Mass,  for  the  various  days  of  the  year.  In 
the  ancient  Church,  the  several  parts  of  divine  service  were 
arranged  in  distinct  books.  Thus  the  Collects  and  the  in- 
variable portion  of  the  Communion  Office,  formed  the  book 
called  the  Sacramentary.  The  lessons  from  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments  constituted  the  Lectionary,  and  the  gospels 
made  another  volume  with  the  title  of  Evangelistarium. 
The  Antiphonary  consisted  of  anthems,  &c.,  designed  for 
chanting. 


336  MIS 

"  About  the  eleventh  or  twelfth  century,  it  was  found  con- 
venient generally  to  unite  these  three  [latter]  books,  and  the 
volume  obtained  the  name  of  the  Complete  or  Plenary  Mis- 
sal, or  Book  of  Missse.  Of  this  description  were  almost  all 
the  liturgical  books  of  the  western  Churches,  and  the  arrange- 
ment is  still  preserved  in  our  own."  * 

Missionary.  A  Clergyman,  whether  Bishop,  Priest,  or 
Deacon,  deputed  or  sent  out  by  the  ecclesiastical  authority, 
to  preach  the  Gospel,  and  exercise  his  other  functions,  in 
places  where  the  Church  has  hitherto  been  unknown,  or  in 
the  infancy  of  its  establishment.  At  first  the  term  was  gene- 
rally restricted  to  those  who  were  appointed  to  minister 
among  the  heathen,  or  in  foreign  parts  ;  but  by  later  usage, 
it  embraces  not  only  these,  but  such  also  of  the  clergy  as  are 
engaged  on  the  same  service,  within  the  bounds  of  regularly 
organized  dioceses. 

Missionary  Bishop.     See  Bishop. 

Mission.  An  ecclesiastical  station  or  district,  in  which 
one  or  more  clergymen  are  placed,  to  introduce  and  promul- 
gate the  religion  of  Christ.  In  a  secondary  sense,  the  term 
is  applied  to  the  body  of  clergy  thus  employed  at  any  mis- 
sionary station. 

In  the  American  Church,  missions  are  considered  as  either 
domestic  or  foreign ;  the  former  being  the  designation  of 
those  within,  and  the  latter  of  those  without,  the  United 
States.  It  is  evident  that  these  terms,  however  useful,  are 
rather  of  a  civil  than  an  ecclesiastical  character,  and  there- 
fore are  only  used  by  the  Church  in  reference  to  the  local 
position  of  her  missions.  Without  dilating  further  on  these, 
we  shall  direct  the  reader  to  a  real  and  important  distinction, 
which,  in  the  nature  of  things,  must,  at  the  present  day,  form 
the  basis  of  missionary  effort.  The  field  being  "the  world," 
missions,  if  established  at  all,  will  be  directed  towards  bodies 

•  Origines  Liturgicse,  I.  p.  309. 


MISSION.  337 

of  people  who  profess  Christianity,  or  toward  those  who  do 
not.  Missions  to  Christian  nations  are  one  thing  ;  missions 
to  the  heathen,  or  those  to  "Jews,  Turks,  and  Infidels,"  are 
quite  another,  inasmuch  as,  though  the  object  may  be  the 
same  in  both  cases,  yet  the  mode  of  proceeding,  (on  Church 
principles,)  should  be  widely  different.  To  the  Apostles,  the 
whole  field  was  thrown  open,  and  they  entered  it  with  the 
resolute  determination  of  carrying  the  name  of  their  Master 
to  its  remotest  v'erge,  and  to  overthrow,  if  possible,  every 
refuge  of  heathenism  in  the  wide  world.  To  them,  the  entire 
ground  was  free,  and  made  over  to  their  jurisdiction  by  Him, 
whose  is,  "  the  earth  and  the  fulness  thereof."  With  the  ex- 
ception of  the  Jews,  all  men  were  given  up  to  idolatry  ;  poly- 
theism had  reared  its  myriad  temples  ;  its  altars  decked  the 
groves,  and  the  ripest  intellects  were  enslaved  by  the  reign- 
ing superstitions.  Here  was  fair  and  ample  ground  for  the 
missionary  operations  of  the  first  heralds  of  the  Gospel. 
And  similar  in  kind  are  the  duties  of  the  Church  Catholic  of 
the  present  age,  in  relation  to  those  sections  of  the  field  not 
yet  reclaimed  from  idolatry.  The  heathen  are  a  portion  of 
Christ's  inheritance,  and  their  conversion  to  him  is  not  to 
be  accomplished  by  the  intervention  of  miracle,  (as  long  ex- 
perience has  proved,)  but  mainly  through  the  instrumentality 
of  the  Church,  into  which  they  will  be  gathered.  That 
Church,  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose,  will,  in  its  various  and 
widely-scattered  branches,  regard  with  faithfulness  propor- 
tioned to  its  light,  the  obligations  resting  upon  it  to  evangelize 
and  purge  the  dark  places  of  the  earth.  Every  such  branch 
of  the  Church  is  under  bonds  to  effect  this  object  in  the  ter- 
ritory contiguous  to  it ;  and  as  the  Church,  by  the  Providence 
of  God,  has  long  ago  had  its  standard  reared  in  almost  every 
nation  of  the  globe,  there  is  room  for  strong  hope,  that  ere 
long  a  mighty  and  united  effort  will  be  made  by  every  por- 
tion  of  that  divine  society,  to  redeem  from  infidehty  and 
heathenism,  the  "  souls  benighted  "  in  their  respective  vicin- 

29 


338  MISSION. 

ities.  This  would  seem  to  be  the  natural  and  primitive  mode 
of  proceeding,  and  it  sets  in  a  strong  light  the  obligations  of 
the  American  Church  to  the  native  tribes  treading  her  own 
soil,  and  that  of  her  adjacent  territories.  Her  position  gives 
to  these  an  imperative  and  righteous  claim  on  her  sympathies 
and  services.  Many  of  them  are  within  her  own  Dioceses  : 
and  on  sound  catholic  principles,  it  is  as  much  her  duty  to 
occup5[^the  ground,  as  it  would  be  an  intrusion  on  her  rights 
for  any  other  branch  of  the  Church  to  interfere. 

In  the  conducting  of  missions  in  countries  where  the  Church 
is  already  established,  and  where  the  laborers  sent  forth  must 
necessarily  take  their  position  under  an  existing  ecclesiastical 
jurisdiction,  there  are  difficulties  of  a  peculiar  and  delicate 
nature  always  to  be  encountered.  The  first  point  to  be  ascer- 
tained is,  whether  we  are  in  communion  with  that  Church  in 
which  we  purpose  to  establish  a  mission.  If  so,  we  declare 
ipso  facto  that  such  a  Church  is  not  under  the  ban  of  heresy 
or  schism;  and  therefore  none  but  friendly  and  courteous 
relations  are  to  be  maintained  with  it.  A  full,  frank,  and 
undisguised  statement  of  our  purposes  is  then  due  to  the  eccle- 
siastical authorities  of  that  church  ;  and  on  their  approval  of 
those  purposes,  and  their  official  consent  to  our  carrying  them 
into  effect,  ihe  mission  may  proceed,  without  involving  a 
breach  of  those  ancient  canons  to  which  we  have  always  pro- 
fessed to  pay  respect. 

But  if  we  are  nut  in  communion  with  that  Church,  a  wider 
latitude  may  be  granted.  In  the  priniitive  Church,  when  a 
Diocese  was  infected  with  heresy,  it  was  allowed  that  ortho- 
dox Bishops  from  the  Dioceses  around,  might  enter  and  per- 
form their  episcopal  functions,  without  regarding  the  ordinary 
restrictions  of  the  canons.  This  was  a  necessary  precaution 
for  the  preservation  of  the  faith,  and  the  rule  holds  good  in 
our  own  day.  A  foreign  Church  may  possess  the  Apostolic 
ministry  ;  but  if  it  has  sunk  into  heresy,  then  there  would 
seem  to  be  no  canonical  obstacle  in  the  way  of  our  establish- 


MOT  339 

ment  of  a  mission  within  its  bounds.  But  the  proof  of  such 
heresy  should  be  ample  and  decisive,  warranted  by  the  origi- 
nal standards  of  such  a  Church,  and  by  the  concurrent  testi- 
monies of  our  own  and  other  ecclesiastical  bodies.  Till  this 
is  positively  ascertained,  a  breach  of  order  must  be  the  conse- 
quence of  our  invasion  of  a  foreign  diocese,  without  special 
permission  from  the  Bishops  holding  jurisdiction  in  it.  That 
the  American  Church  is  alive  to  the  importance  of  these  fun- 
damental principles  of  missions,  every  Episcopalian  will  re- 
joice to  find,  by  recurring  to  the  investigations  and  reports  of 
the  last  two  General  Conventions. 

Mitre.  A  kind  of  cap  or  head-dress  originally  worn  by 
Jewish  Priests.  In  the  Christian  Church,  the  mitre  was  for- 
merly used  by  the  Bishops,  on  solemn  occasions,  and  is  still 
worn  in  the  Romish  and  some  other  ancient  Churches. 

The  peculiar  cloven  figure  of  the  upper  portion  of  the  Epis- 
copal mitre,  has  been  supposed  to  be  emblematical  of  the  form 
of  the  fiery  tongues  which  descended  on  the  Apostles  on  the 
day  of  Pentecost. 

Mother  Church.  The  great  "  Ecclesia  Matrix,"  or  Moth- 
er Church,  was  that  of  Jerusalem,  where  the  Gospel  was 
first  preached,  and  from  which  all  other  churches  were  de- 
rived. This  title  indeed  was  given  to  it  by  the  2d  General 
Council  of  Constantinople.  But  this  distinction  was  also 
granted  to  such  other  principal  Churches  as  were  planted 
immediately  by  the  Apostles,  and  from  which  the  neighboring 
Churches  were  afterwards  derived.  The  term  was  further 
applied  in  early  times  to  the  chiefChurchof  a  province,  where 
the  Metropolitan  presided,  and  afterwards  to  a  Cathedral  or 
Bishop  s  Church  in  a  diocese,  as  distinguished  from  the  par- 
ish churches  around. 

The  term  as  now  used,  is  strictly  primitive,  denoting  the 
relation  existing  between  any  branch  of  the  Church  Catholic, 
and  those  which  have  sprung  from  it.  Hence  the  Church  of 
England   is  properly  the  "Mother"   of  that   in  the  United 


340 


MOV 


States,  the  latter  having  derived  its  Episcopacy  and  Liturgy, 
&c.,  from  it. 

Moveable  feasts.  Those  holy-days  of  the  Church  which 
instead  of  being  fixed  to  certain  days  of  the  year,  depend  on 
the  festival  of  Easier  ;  and  being  calculated  from  it,  are  sub- 
ject to  its  mutations. 

"Moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost."  See  the  first  question 
■  addressed  to  Deacons  at  their  Ordination  : — "  Do  you  trust 
that  you  are  inwardly  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost  to  take  upon 
you  this  Office  and  Ministration,"  &c.  "Rpply: — "I  trust 
so."  Solemn  and  important  as  this  inquiry  is,  it  will  not 
justify  the  conclusion,  that  the  Church  here  expects  in  the 
candidate  a  direct,  special,  and  evident  "-call"  to  the  work  of 
the  Ministry,  similar  in  kind  to  that  w  hich  existed  in  the  case 
of  St.  Paul;  for  if  this  were  so, — if  there  were  this  "special 
revelation  to  the  mind  of  the  candidate,"  the  Chuich  and 
its  Bishop  would  be  bound  to  submit  to  it,  and  every  such 
person  could  demand  ordination,  however  apparent  his  dis- 
qualifications. Besides,  as  no  sensible  proof  of  the  call  could 
be  given,  the  Bishop  w^ould  be  compelled  to  rely  on  the  mere 
word  of  the  candidate,  and  thus  be  expostd  to  every  kind 
of  deception  from  those,  who  ignoranlly  mistake  the  woiking 
of  their  own  imaginations,  for  the  impulses  of  the  Spirit  of 
God. 

In  the  question  proposed,  the  Church  recognijses  the  truth, 
that  all  holy  dispositions, — every  good  thought  and  religious 
purpose, — come  from  the  influence  of  God's  Spirit  on  the 
mind.  •'  The  fruits  of  the  Spirit  are  in  all  goodness,  and 
righteoiisness,  and  truth  "  This  is  the  burden  of  Scripture, 
and  it  is  interwoven  with  every  part  of  the  services  of  the 
Church.  "  If  then,  agreeably  to  the  expressions  which  follow 
in  the  question  of  serving  God  for  the  promoting  of  his  glory, 
and  the  edifying  of  his  people,  a  man  be  desirous  of  taking  on 
him  the  Ministerial  office,  under  a  sufficient  knowledge  of 
the  purposes  for  which  it  \yas  instituted,  accompanied  bysi 


Mus  341 

due  regard  for  them  ;  and  if  he  be  desirous  of  devoting  his 
time,  his  talents,  and  his  labors,  to  so  holy  and  benevolent  a 
use  ;  surely  it  is  not  less  to  be  ascribed  to  the  Holy  Spirit, 
than  any  good  work  which  he  may  perform."* 

MS.  An  abbreviation  for  "  manuscript."  The  plural  is 
written  MSS. 

Music.  Music,  whether  considered  as  a  science  or  an  art, 
has  always  had  an  important  connection  with  the  liturgical 
services  of  the  Church,  and,  in  all  religious  bodies,  forms  a 
considerable  part  of  public  worship. 

The  great  and  only  object  of  adoration  is  God.  The  mo- 
tive of  our  praise  lies  in  his  goodness  to  us,  as  our  benevo- 
lent Creator,  Preserver,  and  Friend,— more  especially  in  his 
unbounded  love,  as  exhibited  in  our  redemption,  and  in  our 
prospects  of  immortal  blessedness,  through  the  sufferings  and 
death  of  Jesus  Chriet. 

It  is  a  beautiful  thought,  that  while  God  requires  our  praise, 
he  does  not  overlook  our  own  gratification.  He  has  laid  its 
chief  exercise  in  the  most  delightful  and  rapturous  of  all  sci- 
ences. There  was  evidently  nothing  to  bind  the  Almighty  to 
this  selection.  He  might  have  chosen  other  modes  of  thanks- 
giving, in  preference  to  this;  but,  from  the  earliest  ages,  he 
has  appropriated  and  hallowed  music,  as  the  acceptable  chan- 
nel of  praise.  And  as  the  pleasure  derived  from  this  is  to  be 
referred  to  a  certain  degree  of  perfection  in  ihe  ear,  he  has,  in 
like  manner,  made  this  so  far  universal,  that  even  the  rudest 
barbarians  gather  delight  from  its  possession.  Thus  it  is  kindly 
ordained,  that  in  the  utterance  of  God's  praise,  we  shall  have 
a  still  further  enjoyment  in  the  loveliness  of  the  outward  ex- 
ercise. 

,  The  character  of  the  music  employed  in  the  worship  of 
God,  may  be  estimated  from  the  dignified  nature  of  the  duty. 
It  should,  therefore,  be  as  excellent  and  superior  as  circum- 


♦  Bishop  White,  on  the  Ordination  Offices,  p.  14. 
29* 


342  MUSIC. 

stances  will  admit.     This  follows  from  the  obvious  rule,  that 
all  our  offerings  to  God  should  be  in  the  best  of  their  kind. 
Reason   alone  will  sanction  the  rule;  and  wherever  revela- 
tion touches  upon  this  point,  it  lends  its  sanction  and  corrob- 
oration.    The  sacrifices  under  the  Jewish  law  were  of  ani- 
mals without  spot  or  blemish.     The  gifts  were  to  be  of  the 
first  fruits.      The  temple  was   of  the  most  costly   grandeur. 
Every  thing  devoted  to  God  was  to  be  free  from  imperfec- 
tion;    and  we  have    no    intimation    that  the  essence  of  the 
principle  has  ever  suffered  a  change.     Ii  is  not  lo  be  imagin- 
ed that  the  thought  will  be  entertained,  that  the  Almighty 
can  be  too  worthily  served.     The  Christians  of  former  ages 
erected  magnificent   and   highly  decorated  edifices  for  His 
worship,  and   spared    neither  taste,  science,  nor  expense  in 
their  adornment;    for  it  is  a  notion  of  modern  times  alone 
that  every  thing  connected  with  the  service  of  God  should  be 
of  the  plainest  and  simplest  grade.     The  same  rule  then,  will 
apply  to  the  praises  of  the  sanctuary.     But  alas!   when  we 
turn  to  the  fact,  instead  of  the  swelling  anthem,  and  the  peal- 
ino-  chorus,  the  thankso^iving-s  of  our  churches  are  too  often 
given  in   strains   whose  meagerness  would  make  an  angel 
weep.       Time  was,   when  the  most  gorgeous  and    sublime 
music  in  the  world  was  employed  in  exalting  the  Redeemer's 
name.     The  impassioned  language  of  the  Te  Deum,  and  the 
heavenly  enthusiasm  of  the  Psalter,  received  a  new  and  im- 
pressive grandeur  from  the  dress  in  which  they  were  arrayed. 
But  now,  the  world  has  stolen  from  the  Church  her  rightful 
property,  and  we  can  no  longer  look  to  the  sanctuary  for  the 
highest  modf  Is  of  musical  science.     The  very  name  of  Church 
music  has  become  a  by-word,  and  a  synonyme  for  dullness 
and  monotony.     Who  will  not  say  that  God's  service  should 
tell  of  better  things,  and  that  we  are  not  bound  to  magnify  his 
fame  in  nobler  songs? 

But  the  music  of  the  Church  should  also  he  practicable. 
Our  Maker  never  expects  that  which  we  are  incapable  of 


MUSIC  343 

rendering;    but  he  does  demand  the  exercise  of  our  actual 
ability.     It  is  not  required  that  every  private  Christian  shall 
prove  hiniselfa  deeply  read  theologian  ;  neither  does  God,  in 
every  case,  look  for  displays  of  refined  musical  taste.     But 
all    men   have  powers  which  they  suffer  to   remain    latent. 
These  must  be  brought  into  action.     The  man  who   hid  his 
Lord's  talent  in  the  earth,  was  justly  condemned  for  his  neg- 
ligence.    However  little   was  that  committed  to  him,  it  Avas 
his  duty  to  turn  it  to  account,  and  to  study  its  improvement 
for  his  master's  glory.      Now,  while  the  songs  and  praises  of 
the    Church   should  be  adapted  to  the  various  capacities  of 
those  who  are  to  offtr  them,  this  will  not  rob  them  of  their 
excellence;  for  many  of  the  most  sublime  anthems  are  of  re- 
markable  simplicity,   while,   on   the  other  hand,    difficulties 
abound   in  compositions  of  inferior  value.     He  whose  heart 
is  touched  with  the  love  of  Christ,  will  not  shrink  from  labor 
and  exertion,  that  he  may  the  better  extol  his  Savior's  name, 
but   will   rather  endeavor  to  perfect  himself  in  the  outward 
expression  of  that    love  and    gratitude  which  reigns  in  his 
heart.     Practice  is  necessary  to  qualify  for  this  exercise,  and 
we  would  not  suppose  that  any  intelligent  Christian  will  neg- 
lect it.      He   may,  at  the  first,  over-estimate  the  difficulty  of 
joining  audibly  in  the  praises  of  the  Church,  and  may  also 
underrate    his  own   powers;  yet  patience  and  attention  will 
soon  overcome  all  ordinary  obstacles,  and  enable  him  to  min- 
gle his  triumphs   with  the  congregation   around  him.     The 
plea  that  the  music  heard  in  our   Churches  is  too   elaborate 
and  scieniific  for  the  use  of  ordinary  worshippers,  is  not  so 
valid  as   is  commonly  supposed.     The  great  mistake  lies  in 
the  people  not  knowing  what  they  really  can  accomplish,  if 
they  make  the  trial.     They  are  too  diffident  of  their  own  abil- 
ities.    To  join  in  the  work  of  praise,  it  is  not  required  that 
every  one  shall   be  equally  gifted  or  trained,  with  those  who 
compose  our  choirs      It  is  only  binding  on  us  to  do  the  best 
we  can, — to  lift  up  our  voices  according  to  the  ability  which 


344  Mus 

God  has  given,  and  then  the  duty  and  the  obligation  are  ac- 
ceptably met.  We  are  aware  of  nothing  that  can  justify  abso- 
solute  silence  amidst  the  praises  of  God's  temple,  but  the  fact 
of  physical  inability.  If  the  Creator  has  denied  to  any  one 
that  ordinary  perfection  of  voice  and  ear,  by  u'hich  almost  the 
whole  race  of  men  are  able  to  utter  and  distinguish  sounds, 
then,  but  not  till  then,  may  a  justifiable  excuse  be  rendered. 
But  before  advancing  such  a  plea,  let  a  fair  and  repeated 
trial  be  made,  that  there  be  not  ascribed  to  defective  organiza- 
tion, that  which  should  rather  be  charged  to  defective  grati- 
tude, and  positive  negligence.  Few  persons  are  absolutely 
unable  to  sing.  The  same  man  who  denies  God  his  due  in 
the  Church,  can  enliven  his  laboring  hours  with  songs  of 
vastly  more  difficult  execution.  The  parlor  and  the  drawing 
room  can  ring  with  melody,  and  yet  the  simple  strains  of  the 
psalm,  will  be  pronounced  unattainable.  The  plea  of  im- 
practicability is  therefore  groundless  in  the  majority  of  cases, 
and  needs  no  other  answer  than  the  effort  of  a  willing  mind, — 
an  answer  which  we  would  to  God  that  it  might  universally 
receive. 

Musical  Instrumenfs.  Though  these  are  not  essential 
to  the  due  performance  of  divine  worship,  yet,  their  value  as 
secondary  aids  to  devotional  feeling,  will  not  be  questioned 
by  those  familiar  with  a  liturgical  service.  Their  use,  in 
this  light,  stands  on  high  authority.  They  are  linked  with 
all  the  prais  s  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  the  instrumental 
force  of  the  Temple,  was  scarcely  surpassed  by  the  strength 
of  the  vocal  choirs.  It  would  appear  too,  from  the  sacred 
writings,  not  only  that  such  instruments  were  approved  by 
Almighty  God,  but  that  very  little  difference  (if  any)  was 
made  respecting  their  eligibility  and  fifness  for  use  in  divine 
worship.  When  the  shout  and  the  anthem  of  praise  were  to 
be  given,  it  mattered  little  what  were  the  qualities  and  powers 
of  the  instruments  at  hand, — all  were  claimed  for  God,  and 
all  were  sure  to  be  pleasing  to  him.     But  after  all,  this  is  one 


M^s  345 

of  those  subjects  on  which  men  have  sometimes  been  infinitely 
more  precise  and  fastidious  than  their  Maker.  Between 
them  and  the  "  man  after  God's  own  heart,"  it  would  be  in- 
structing to  draw  a  contrast,  and  trace  the  wide  diversity  of 
their  opinions.  David  was  not  afraid  to  praise  God  by  in- 
strument as  well  as  by  voice.  What  is  it  that  throws  such 
an  air  of  transport  over  the  latter  portion  of  the  book  of 
Psalms?  And  what  is  it  that  thrills  even  the  soul  of  the 
objector  on  reading  it?  Is  it  not  the  sublime  scene  presented, 
of  a  world  called  to  unite  in  an  acclamation  of  praise,  and 
to  bring  harp,  trumpet,  and  cornet,  to  make  a  joyful  noise 
unto  the  Lord  the  King?  It  is  a  feeble  evasion  to  say  that 
though  all  this  was  well  enough  under  the  Jewish  dispensa- 
tion, yet  it  has  long  since  passed  away.  The  truth  is,  that 
God  was  worthily  praised  in  this  manner  before  the  Jewish 
Church  or  State  were  organized  or  heard  of;  and  if  a  better 
argument  were  wanted,  we  would  point  to  the  New  Jeru- 
salem, and  show  what  is  to  be  the  live-long  worship  of  eter- 
nity. Objection  therefore  is  vain.  And  we  contend  that 
God  has  both  shown  his  approbation  of  instruments  in  gene- 
ral,  and  left  us  the  fair  inference,  that  all  are  equally  proper 
(so  far  as  the  principle  is  concerned)  to  be  used  in  his  ser- 
vice. All  the  difference  must  arise  from  the  results  of  asso- 
ciation, and  conventional  feeling  and  usage.  Apart  from 
this,  and  considered  as  a  question  of  religious  principle,  we 
would  scarcely  believe  that  any  one  could  cheat  heaven  of  its 
praises,  and  give  up  his  intellect  to  the  profound  inquiry, 
whether  God  were  best  pleased  with  a  string  or  a  pipe  ! 

Mystery.  Something  secret,  hidden  from  human  com- 
prehension, or  revealed  but  in  part.  The  term  is  applied 
both  to  doctiines  and  facts,  as  the  mystery  of  the  sacred 
Trinity,  and  that  of  the  calling  of  the  Gentiles,  &c.  By  the 
usage  of  the  Church,  it  also  denotes  that  inscrutable  union, 
in  the  sacraments,  of  the  inward  and  spiritual  grace,  with 
the  outward  and  visible  sign.     Hence,  in  the  early  Church, 


346  MYS 

the  sacraments  were  denominated  "mysteries,"  and  the  term 
derived  a  still  greater  force,  from  the  secrecy  which  was 
observed  in  the  administration  of  those  ordinances.  More 
especially,  however,  was  the  holy  Communion  thus  desig- 
nated, as  we  learn  from  the  ancient  Fathers,  who  speak  re- 
peatedly of  the  "  sacred  "  and  "  tremendous  mysteries,"  in 
allusion  to  this  sacrament.  With  this  application,  the  term 
appears  in  our  own  Communion  Office,  where  Christ  is  said 
to  have  "  instituted  and  ordained  holy  Mysteries,  as  pledges  of 
his  love,  and  for  a  continual  remembrance  of  his  death."  We 
are  also  exhorted  so  to  prepare  ourselves,  that  we  may  be 
"  meet  partakers  of  those  holy  Mysteries  ;  "  and  after  their 
reception,  thanks  are  rendered  to  God,  tliat  he  has  vouchsafed 
"to  feed  us  who  have  duly  received  these  holy  Mysteries, 
with  the  spiritual  food  of  the  most  precious  Body  and  Blood 
of  [his]  Son  our  Savior  Jesus  Christ." 

"  Mystical."  Having  a  hidden,  allegorical,  or  secret 
meaning.  In  the  Baptismal  offices  we  read,  "  sanctify  this 
water  to  the  mystical  washing  away  of  sin ;  "  from  which  it 
would  be  absurd  to  infer  that  the  mere  physical  application  of 
water  can  remove  sin  ;  and  yet,  on  the  other  hand,  the  fact 
that  the  remission  of  sin  is  associated  with  baptism,  rests  on 
Scriptural  authority.  There  is  therefore,  a  secret  operation 
of  God's  grace  in  cleansing  the  soul,  linked  to  the  sacramental 
application  of  water  to  the  body;  and  the  concurrence  or 
co-existence  of  these  the  Church  regards  as  a  "mystical 
washing  away  of  sin." 

Again  :  in  the  Communion  Office,  the  faithful  recipients 
are  said  to  be  "very  [true]  members  incorporate  of  the  mys- 
tical body  of  Christ."  Now  how  the  Church  can  constitute 
"  the  body  of  Christ,"  will  appear  to  any  one  an  inscrutable 
mystery^  if  he  will  but  divest  himself  of  the  familiarity  of  the 
terms.  As  to  the  fact,  it  is  indisputable  :  but  the  manner  is 
beyond  our  full  comprehension,  partaking  in  some  measure  of 
the  nature  of  allegory,  and  strictly  mystical.      It  is  worth 


NAV  347 

while  to  add,  that,  the  Church  does  not  recognize  the  notion 
of  an  invisible  Church,  as  constituting  this  "mystical  body," 
composed  of  those  only  who  shall  be  finally  saved  ;  for  she 
goes  on  to  pray  for  the  assistance  of  God's  grace  "  that  we 
may  continue  in  that  holy  fellowship,"  dec,  a  petition  some- 
what irrelevant  if  such  an  hypothesis  be  adopted. 


Name  of  Jesus.     See  Bowing  at  the  name  of  Jesus. 

Nativity  of  Christ.     See  Christmas. 

"Naughty."  Used  in  tlie  Prayer-book  in  its  original 
sense  of  wicked  or  corrupt,  e.  g.,  "  this  miserable  and  naughty 
world."*  "The  congregation  oi^ naughty  men."f  See  also 
the  Exhortation  in  the  Ordering  of  Priests.  Old  writers  use 
the  word  in  the  same  strong  sense.  Bishop  Jewell  remarks, 
that  in  separating  from  communion  wiih  the  Romish  Church, 
we  have  "  put  ourselves  apart  *  *  *  from  the  infection 
of  naughty  persons  and  hypocrites."  J  Latimer  has  this  use 
of  the  word  :  "  When  the  end  is  naught,  [naughty,  or  evil,] 
all  is  naught,"  And  again,  "  We  ought  to  be  punished  when 
we  do  naught."  "  The  will  of  God  is,  only  to  receive  them 
who  come  to  him  in  the  name  of  his  Son  our  Savior,  who 
lament  their  own  sins,  and  confess  their  own  naughtiness  and 
wickedness."  § 

Nave.  In  Cathedrals  and  other  ancient  Churches  the 
ground  plan  is  that  of  a  cross.  The  portion  of  the  building 
occupying  the  upper  or  head  division  of  this,  is  usually  called 
the  choir,  the  central  wings  the  transepts,  and  the  longer  part 


♦  Visitation  of  the  Sick.  t  Psalm  Ixxxvi.  14. 

t  ApoK)gy,  p.  112.  §  Sermon,  on  the  Birth  of  Christ. 


348  NEC 

or  main  body  of  the  edifice,  the  nave.  In  modern  Churches 
the  term  nave  sometimes  designates  the  middle  portion  of 
the  interior,  bounded  by  the  galleries,  and  extending  through 
the  entire  length  of  the  building. 

Necessity.  We  introduce  this  term  for  the  purpose  of 
noticing  what  is  called  the  "  plea  of  necessity,"  as  urged  by 
those  who  have  attempted  the  vindication  of  ministerial  or- 
ders  not  derived  from  the  Apostles  through  the  succession  of 
Bishops.  At  the  rise  of  several  of  the  more  respectable 
communities  of  non-episcopalians,  this  plea  was  brought  for- 
ward as  the  ground  on  which  they  proceeded  in  raising  up  a 
ministry  based  on  presbyterian  or  lay  ordination.  See  Epis- 
copacy. It  was  contended  that  Bishops  were  not  to  be  had  ; 
that  in  the  existing  state  of  things  no  lime  was  to  be  lost ; 
and  that,  therefore,  the  course  adopted  was  not  only  prudent 
but  justifiable.  By  their  own  confession,  then,  this  was  an 
act  of  irregularity,  differing  essentially  from  the  established 
course  of  things  in  the  Church.  For  what  is  a  work  done 
in  necessity,  as  here  understood,  but  an  act  performed  under 
the  impulsive  force  of  circumstances,  contrary  to  fixed  laws 
and  usages,  and  in  direct  opposition  to  the  actor's  own  under- 
standing of  what  is  right  ? 

But  it  is  questionable  whether  such  a  thing  as  this  absolute 
necessity  ever  has  existed,  or  ever  can  exist  in  the  Church. 
On  the  continent,  it  is  more  than  probable  that  by  proper 
effort  and  by  a  slight  exercise  of  patience,  episcopal  ordina- 
tion might  have  been  obtained.  At  all  events,  necessity 
could  never  put  into  the  hands  of  presbyters  the  power  to 
ordain.  The  transmission  of  the  ministry  was  not  commit- 
ted to  them,  and  consequently  they  could  not  iirtpart  it  to 
others.  Let  us  suppose,  that  by  some  dread  event,  all  the 
Bishops  of  the  American  Episcopal  Church,  were  with  one 
stroke  removed.  What  would  be  the  result  ?  Undoubtedly, 
an  application  to  the  Church  of  England,  or  to  some  other 
branch  of  the  Apostolic  Church,  for  a  supply  of  duly  ordained 


NiN  349 

or  consecrated  ministers.  One  or  two  wavering  voices, 
might  perchance  be  heard,  calling  for  the  adoption  of  some 
expedient  to  save  appearances  at  the  cost  of  Apostolic  order  ; 
but  far  otherwise  would  be  the  acclamation  of  the  great  body 
of  the  Church.  Here  would  be  an  opportunity  for  the  ad- 
vancing  of  the  plea  of  necessity  ;  but  who  does  not  see  its 
fallacy  ?  If  the  power  of  ordination  was  lodged  only  in  the 
successors  of  the  Apostles,  with  them  it  must  remain,  and, 
independently  of  them,  it  is  impossible  to  obtain  it,  except  by 
the  direct  gift  of  God  testified  hy  miracle.  The  plea  of  ne- 
cessity  by  the  continental  reformers  and  their  followers,  in- 
volved  therefore  a  double  peiitio  principii ;  1.  that  presbyters 
had  the  power  or  ahility  to  ordain  ;  and  2.  that  they  had  the 
right.  Both  these  we  deny,  because  we  read  not  in  Scripture 
or  history  that  they  ever  possessed  them.  Necessity  may,  in 
some  things,  have  no  law ;  but  in  ordinations  the  matter  is 
worse,  for  it  has  no  power.  If  the  whole  world  were  deprived 
of  its  Bishops,  no  body  of  men  whatever  could  forge  the  first 
link  of  a  new  chain  of  them, — ordination  would  be  impossi- 
ble ;  and  as  divine  Providence  would  have  thus  extinguished 
the  Apostolical  commission,  no  mortal  man  (even  in  such 
dire  necessity)  would  be  justifiable  in  aiming  at  the  creation 
of  a  new  ministry.  How  slight  then  was  the  ground  on 
which  the  above  reformers  proceeded,  in  the  formation  of  a 
ministry  hitherto  unheard  of  in  the  wide  world  ! 

Nemine  Contradicente,  or  Nem.  Con,  "  No  one  op- 
posing." 

Nemine  dissentiente,  or  Nem.  Diss.  "No  one  dissent- 
ing." The  above  terms  are  frequently  found  in  Journals  of 
Convention,  and  other  documents  containing  business  pro- 
ceedings. 

NicEiNE  Creed.     See  Creed,  Nicene. 

Nineteenth  day  of  the  month.  In  the  Morning  Service 
of  the  Church,  it  is  directed  that  on  the  nineteenth  day  of  any 
month,  the  "  Venite  Exultemus,"  (or  Psalm  beginning,  "  O 

30 


350  NOR 

come,  let  us  sing  unto  the  Lord,"  &;c.,)  shall  not  be  said  or 
sung.  The  reason  is,  that  it  occurs  on  that  day  in  the  regu- 
lar portion  of  Psalms,  and  would  thus  occasion  an  unneces- 
sary repetition. 

NocTURNS.  Services  anciently  held  during  the  night.  In 
the  Romish  Breviary,  the  Psalter  is  divided  into  portions  con- 
sisting of  nine  Psalms,  each  of  which  portions  is  called  a 
nocturn.  These  were  designed  to  be  read  at  these  nightly 
assemblies,  with  other  services  appointed  in  order  for  the 
various  nights. 

Nocturnal  services  "  were  derived  from  the  earliest  periods 
of  Christianity.  We  learn  from  Pliny,  as  well  as  from  Jus- 
tin Martyr,  Tertullian,  and  various  writers  of  the  first  three 
centuries,  that  the  Christians  in  those  times  of  persecution, 
held  their  assemblies  in  the  night,  in  order  to  avoid  detection. 
On  these  occasions  they  celebrated  the  memory  of  Christ's 
death  in  the  holy  mysteries.  When  persecutions  had  inter- 
mitted and  finally  ceased,  although  the  Christians  w^ere  able 
to  celebrate  all  their  rites,  and  did  administer  the  sacrament 
in  the  day-time,  yet  a  custom  which  had  commenced  from 
necessity,  was  retained  from  devotion  and  choice  ;  and  noc- 
turnal assemblies  for  the  worship  of  God  in  psalmody  and 
reading  still  continued."  * 

NoN-RESiDENCE.  In  England,  the  fact  of  Clergymen  be- 
ing habitually  absent  from,  or  not  resident  in,  their  parishes 
or  benefices  ;  a  practice  grown  very  frequent,  and  occupying 
several  months  in  the  year,  notwithstanding  the  liability  of 
incurring  the  penalties  of  a  statute  of  Henry  VIII.  against  it. 
During  this  non-residence  of  the  Rector,  the  burden  of  parish 
duty  is  discharged  by  the  Curate,  &c. 

"  North  side."  In  the  administration  of  the  Holy  Com- 
munion, the  Minister  is  required,  by  the  rubric,  to  stand  "at 
the  north  side  of  the  table,  or  where  Morning  and  Evening 

*  Origines  Liturgicae,  I.  p.  202. 


NOT  351 

Prayer  are  appointed  to  be  said."  In  ancient  times  it  was  a 
general  custom  to  place  the  head  or  upper  end  of  Churches 
towards  the  east,  and  near  that  end  of  the  building  the  altar 
was  placed.  This  custom  prevailed  in  England  at  the  time 
when  our  Prayer-book  was  framed.  Now  as  it  frequently 
happened  that  if  the  Priest  stood  immediately  in  front  of  the 
altar,  (looking  West,)  there  was  some  interposing  obstacle 
which  prevented  him  from  being  seen  and  heard  by  the  peo- 
ple, it  was  ordered  that  he  should  stand  at  one  end  of  the 
altar  ;  and  choice  was  made  of  that  on  the  Priest's  right  hand, 
(as  he  looked  towards  the  people,)  which  was  of  course  the 
^^  North  side"  as  prescribed  in  the  rubric. 

In  the  American  Churches  the  east  and  west  position  is  not 
retained  ;  but  the  rubric  is  complied  with  by  the  priest  stand- 
ing at  that  end  of  the  altar  which  would  be  the  north,  if  the 
altar  itself  stood  towards  the  east,  i.  e.,  on  the  people's  left, 
and  the  minister's  right, 

"Notable  crime."  In  the  Ordering  of  Deacons  and 
Priests,  any  offence  of  a  sufficiently  serious  character  to 
justify  a  suspension  of  the  ordination  of  a  candidate.  The 
Bishop,  at  the  beginning  of  the  Ordination  Office,  requires, 
that  if  any  of  the  people  know  "  any  impediment,  or  notable 
crime^''  in  the  person  about  to  be  ordered,  "  for  the  which  he 
ought  not  to  be  admitted  to  "  the  Order  of  Deacon  or  Priest, 
the  accuser  shall  come  forth,  and  declare  "  what  the  crime  or 
impediment  is." 

By  "  notable  "  is  to  be  understood  something  of  a  highly 
flagrant  and  scandalous  nature,  known  to  the  accuser  as  a 
sufficient  reason  (if  proved)  for  the  rejection  of  the  candi- 
date. Hence,  in  the  rubric  following  the  Bishop's  demand, 
the  words  ^*  notable  crime  "  are  made  synonymous  with  "great 
crime," — with  such  a  crime  as  will  justify  the  Bishop  in  pro- 
ceeding no  further  till  it  is  disproved. 

Similar  remarks  will  apply  to  the  use  of  the  word  "  noto. 
rious,'^  in  the  rubric  before  the  Holy  Communion» 


352  occ 

NuBiERi.  The  Latin  title  of  the  book  of  Numbers,  oc- 
curring in  the  list  of  Scripture  books  in  the  6th  Article  of 
Religion. 

Nunc  dimittis.  In  the  English  Prayer-book,  the  first 
words,  in  Latin,  of  the  Song  of  Simeon,  ("  Lord,  now  lettest 
thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace,"  (fee,  Luke,  ii.  29,)  ap- 
pointed as  one  of  the  hymns  to  be  used  after  the  second 
Lesson  in  Evening  Prayer.  In  the  American  Prayer-book 
a  portion  of  the  108d  Psalm  is  used  in  its  stead,  being 
judged  more  appropriate  to  the  general  purposes  of  public 
worship. 


o. 

Oblation.  In  the  consecration  of  the  Eucharist,  a  so- 
lemn act  by  which  an  offering  is  made  of  the  elements  to 
God.  This  portion  of  the  Communion  Office  does  not  appear 
in  the  present  English  Prayer-book,  but  was  in  that  of  Ed- 
ward VI.,  from  which  it  has  been  adopted,  and  incorporated 
into  our  Liturgy,  by  an  act  of  the  General  Convention.  See 
Communion,  Holy. 

"  Oblations."  Gifts,  and  offerings.  Any  thing  which  we 
offer  to  God  as  an  act  of  worship,  or  in  testimony  of  our 
homage  to  him.  In  the  ancient  Church,  the  people  were 
accustomed  at  the  Communion,  not  only  to  present  money  at 
the  altar,  by  way  of  alms  ;  but  also  bread,  wine,  the  fruits  of 
the  earth,  and  other  things,  as  offerings  or  "oblations"  to 
God,  for  the  use  of  such  as  were  in  adversity  and  need.  In. 
allusion  to  this,  we  pray,  at  the  Communion,  that  God  would 
mercifully  accept  "  our  alms  and  ohlations,^^ — which  are  here 
presented  to  him  by  the  Priest,  at  the  altar. 

Occasional  prayers  and  thanksgivings.     Those  which 


OFF  353 

arc  proper  only  on  particular  occasions,  and  not  to  be  regu- 
larly used  in  the  services  of  the  Church.  A  variety  of  these 
may  be  seen  in  the  Prayer-book,  immediately  after  the  Litany, 
as  for  example,  A  Prayer  for  Congress,  to  be  used  during 
their  Session.  A  Prayer  for  a  Sick  Person.  A  Thanks- 
giving for  a  safe  Return  from  Sea,  &c.  &c. 

Octave.  The  "  Octave  "  is  the  eighth  day  after  any  prin- 
cipal  festival  of  the  Church.  In  ancient  times  it  was  custom- 
ary to  observe  these  days  with  much  devotion,  including  the 
whole  period  also,  from  the  Festival  to  the  Octave.  "  It  was 
thought  that  the  subject  and  occasion  of  these  high  Festivals 
called  for  their  being  lengthened  out  in  this  manner  ;  and  the 
period  of  eight  days  was  chosen,  because  the  Jews  celebrated 
their  greater  feasts,  some  for  seven  days,  and  the  Feast  of 
Tabernacles  for  eight  days.  Such  Jewish  institutions  being 
only  types  and  shadows,  the  Christians  thought  it  fit,  not  to 
have  their  Commemorations  of  shorter  duration." 

In  our  Prayer-book  we  retain  the  observance  of  the  Oc^ 
taves  of  Christmas,  Easter,  Ascension  and  Whitsunday,  by 
using,  for  seven  days  after  each  of  these  festivals,  an  appro, 
priate  "  Preface,"  in  the  Communion  service,  if  that  sacra, 
ment  is  administered  on  any  of  those  days.  The  Preface  for 
Whitsunday,  is,  however,  only  to  be  used  for  six  days  after, 
because  the  seventh  (or  Octave  of  Whitsunday)  would  be 
Trinity  Sunday,  which  has  a  Preface  of  its  own. 

Offertory.  The  verses  of  Scripture  near  the  beginning 
of  the  Communion  service,  which  are  appointed  to  be  read 
while  the  wardens  or  other  fit  persons  are  collecting  the 
alms  and  offerings  of  the  people.  These  verses  are  intended 
to  remind  the  congregation  of  the  duty  of  giving  in  charity 
to  the  poor,  and  of  the  love  which  God  bears  to  those  who, 
of  their  abundance,  are  willing  liberally  to  contribute  to  the 
relief  of  "such  as  are  in  need." 

Office.  This  term,  besides  its  ordinary  sense,  denoting 
a  certain  station,  charge,  or  trust,  committed  to  a  person  by 

30* 


354  OLD 

a  competent  authority,  is  also  used  as  a  designation  of  an 
ecclesiastical  or  devotional  form  ;  thus  the  form  set  forth  for 
the  Institution  of  Ministers  is  called  an  "  Office."  Bishop 
Sparrow  remarks,  that  "  the  Common  Prayer  Book  contains 
in  it  many  holy  Offices  of  tht  Church  ;  as  Prayers,  Confession 
of  Faith,  Holy  Hymns,  Divine  Lessons,  Priestly  Absolutions 
and  Benedictions."  See  also  the  first  prayer  in  the  form  for 
the  consecration  o^  a  Church. 

Officers,  Ecclesiastical.  The  Church  is  a  Socieiy,  and, 
like  all  other  societies,  has  its  proper  officers.  These  are 
the  Ministers  of  the  Church, — the  Bishops,  Priests,  and 
Deacons.  But  as  the  Church  is  a  society  founded  by  Christ 
himself,  so  must  its  officers  derive  their  authority  from  him. 
Therefore,  at  the  beginning,  he  gave  this  authority  to  the 
eleven  Apostles,  and  afterwards  to  St.  Paul.  But  as  these 
would  soon  be  taken  away  by  death,  he  also  gave  them  power 
to  ordain  others  to  fill  their  places  as  Apostles  or  Bishops ; 
and  by  these  latter,  another  race  of  Bishops  was  appointed, 
(succeeding  to  them,)  and  thus,  by  continued  chains  of 
Bishops  one  following  another,  the  legitimate  authority  which 
Christ  gave  to  the  first  Apostles,  has  come  down  to  those 
who  now  govern  the  Church.  From  this  it  follows,  that  the 
officers  of  the  Church  act  by  divine,  and  not  by  human 
authority. 

Under  the  title  of  Church  officers,  but  in  an  inferior  sense, 
may  also  be  included.  Church-wardens,  and  Vestry-men,  &c., 
who  are  appointed  by  the  congregations  to  take  charge  of 
the  temporal  affairs  of  the  Church. 

"  Old  Adam."  See  the  first  of  the  short  Collects  in  the 
Offices  of  Baptism,  immediately  after  the  Questions.  "  O 
merciful  God,  grant  that  the  Old  Adam  in  this  Child  may  be 
so  buried,  that  the  new  man  may  be  raised  up  in  him," — i.  e. 
that  the  corrupt  and  evil  inclinations  inherited  in  conse- 
quence of  the  transgression  of  our  first  parent,  may  be  mor- 
tified and  subdued,  a  new  and  holier  train  of  dispositions, 


opu  355 

called  in  Scripture,  the  putting  on  of  Christ,  or  of  the  new 
man,  being  here  solemnly  assumed. 

"  Old  Fathers."  An  expression  used  in  the  7th  Article,  for 
the  ancients  prophets,  patriarchs,  and  Old  Testament  saints  : 
"  —  they  are  not  to  be  hoard,  which  feign,  that  the  Old 
Fathers  did  look  only  for  transitory  promises."     Sec  Tran. 

SITORY  PROMISES. 

"Only."  In  the  Gloria  in  excelsis,  we  read,  "  —  thou 
onli/  art  holy ;  thou  only  art  the  Lord,"  &c.  The  verses 
immediately  preceding  this,  contain  a  fervent  and  repeated 
appeal  to  the  divine  mercy,  on  the  ground  of  our  own  sinful. 
ness.  From  this  we  turn  to  an  acknowledgment  that  holiness 
belongeth  alone  to  God, — "  thou  only  art  holy,"  while  we  are 
defiled  with  sin  ;— "thou  only,  O  Christ,"  (excluding  all  in- 
ferior beings,)  "  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  art  most  high  in  the 
Glory  of  God  the  Father." 

Opus  operatum.  An  expression  frequently  occurring  in 
discussions  respecting  the  efficacy  of  the  sacraments,  &:c., 
importing  a  necessary  spiritual  effect  flowing  from  the  out. 
ward  administration,  (from  the  thing  done)  irrespective  of  the 
moral  qualities  of  the  recipient.  This  doctrine  is  alleged  as 
one  of  the  corruptions  of  the  Church  of  Rome  ;  and,  if  car. 
ried  out,  would  obviously  equalize,  in  a  great  measure,  the 
benefits  received  by  the  worthy  and  the  unworthy  who  ap- 
proach the  altar,  and  would  justify  the  administration  of  bap, 
tism  to  the  heathen,  &c.,  not  only  on  consent,  but  by  the 
application  of  physical  force. 

'In  a  certain  sense,  it  is  unquestionably  true  that  all  the 
appointed  means  of  grace  have  an  effect  ex  opere  operato,  in- 
asmuch as  the  act  itself,  though  inefficacious  in  its  own  na« 
ture,  is  an  institution  of  God,  and  consecrated  by  him  as  an 
instrumentality  not  to  be  made  void  at  the  caprice  of  man. 
Thus,  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  is  inevitably  a  savor  of 
life  or  of  death.       The  administration  of  baptism  is  inva. 


356  ORD 

riably  an  admission  into  the  Church,  even  in  the  case  of  a 
Simon  Magus.  But  that  the  use  of  an  appointed  ordinance 
goes  beyond  this,  and  results  in  all  cases  in  a  moral  effect  on 
the  individual,  and  in  the  ensuring  of  higher  portions  of 
divine  grace  ex  necessitate,  is  contrary  to  the  views  of  the 
Church, — the  doctrine  of  Scripture,  and  the  preservation  of 
man's  free  agency. 

Oration.  A  prayer.  Thus  the  Lord's  Prayer  was  an- 
ciently called  the  "Daily  Oration." 

Oratory.  A  place  of  prayer,  or  a  house  designed  for 
public  worship,  but  in  which  the  sacraments  are  not  usually 
administered.  In  the  writings  of  the  primitive  Fathers, 
churches  in  general  are  not  unfrequently  called  oratories,  or 
houses  of  prayer.  By  later  usage,  and  at  the  present  day, 
the  term  is  applied  to  small  chapels,  frequently  private  pro- 
perty, erected  for  the  convenience  of  families,  institutions  of 
learning,  &c. 

In  the  Romish  Church  the  term  has  a  further  application 
to  small  ante. chambers  or  retiring  places,  furnished  with 
books  &c.,  for  private  devotion. 

Ordain.  To  admit  to  the  sacred  offices  of  the  Ministry, 
by  investing  the  candidate  with  the  required  authority.  See 
Ordination. 

Order.  A  form  or  service  appointed  by  the  Church,  for 
any  specified  object.  Thus  the  Morning  and  Evening  Ser- 
vice  in  the  Prayer-book,  is  called  "  The  Order  for  Daily 
Morning  (or  Evening)  Prayer."  So  also,  "  The  Order  for 
the  Administration  of  the  Lord's  Supper,"  &c.  &c. 

The  word  is  also  used  in  reference  to  the  degrees  of  rank 
in  the  Christian  Ministry,  as  when  we  speak  of  "the  Order 
of  Deacons,"  "the  Order  of  Priests,"  &c. 

In  its  more  common  sense,  it  refers  to  those  instructions 
and  directions  which  it  is  the  Minister's  place  to  give,  in  rela- 
tion to  the  proper  performance  of  divine  worship,  &c.,  as 


ORD  357 

when  it  is  declared  to  "  be  the  duty  of  every  Minister  *  *  *  * 
to  give  order  concerning  the  tunes  to  be  sung  at  any  time  in 
his  Ciiurch. 

Ordering.  Tlie  ordaining,  or  conferring  of  ministerial 
authority  upon  Priests  or  Deacons.  (The  word  conse- 
cration being  more  usually  applied  to  the  ordaining  of  a 
Bishop.) 

The  forms  used  on  such  occasions  are  called,  "  The  Or- 
dering of  Deacons,"  and  "  the  Ordering  of  Priests."  The 
word  takes  its  meaning  from  the  original  verb  "  to  order  "  or 
"  to  ordain," — of  the  use  of  which  the  following  examples 
may  be  given  : — ■"  The  Bishop,  commending  such  as  shall  be 
found  meet  to  be  Ordered,  to  the  prayers,"  &c.  "  The  Bishop 
shall  cease  from  Ordering  that  person,"  &c.  "  Whosoever 
are  consecrated  or  ordered  according  to  said  form,  we  decree 
all  such  to  be  rightly,  orderly,  and  lawfully  consecrated  and 
ordered.^^ 

Orders,  Holy.  The  official  authority  and  commission 
which  are  given  in  the  act  of  ordination,  to  the  Ministers  of 
Christ.  Thus  when  any  one  has  been  invested  with  the 
ministerial  office,  he  is  said  to  have  "  received  Orders,"  or 
to  have  been  "  admitted  to  holy  Orders."  Candidates  or 
students  for  the  ministry,  are,  for  the  same  reason,  denorni- 
nated  "  Candidates  for  Orders."  A  Bishop  also  is  said  to 
"  confer  Orders,"  when  he  ordains.  The  question  whether 
a  person  is  "  in  Orders,"  is  therefore  equivalent  to  the  in- 
quiry  whether  he  has  been  lawfully  ordained  as  a  Minister  in 
the  Church  of  Christ.  The  Canons  of  the  Church  prohibit 
the  ordaining  of  Deacons  under  the  age  of  21  years,  of 
Priests  under  24,  and  require  that  a  Bishop  shall  be  at  least 
30  years  old  at  the  time  of  consecration. 

Ordinal.  Properly  a  ritual,  or  book  containing  orders. 
But,  by  usage,  that  division  of  the  Prayer-book  which  consists 
of  the  Forms  for  the  ordination  of  Priests  and  Deacons,  and 
the  Consecration  of  Bishops.     The  Ordinal  is  thus  the  ap- 


358  ORD 

pointed  form  for  ordination.  The  Bishop  also,  who  alone  ad- 
ministers it,  is  termed  (in  his  own  Diocese)  the  Ordinary. 

Ordinary.  One  who  exercises  the  ordinary  or  imme- 
diate jurisdiction  in  ecclesiastical  affairs.  Thus,  the  Bishop 
is  the  ordinary  within  the  bounds  of  his  own  diocese,  having 
its  spiritual  jurisdiction.  In  a  wider  sense  the  term  is  applied, 
though  not  in  the  American  Church,  to  Clergymen  of  the 
inferior  grades,  having  a  limited  jurisdiction  committed  to 
them.  In  the  138th  Canon  of  the  Church  of  England,  we 
read,  "  That  no  Bishop  or  Archdeacon,  or  their  Vicars,  or 
Officials,  or  other  inferior  Ordinaries,  shall  depute,  or  have 
more  Apparitors  to  serve,"  &;c.  The  Ordinary  in  Newgate 
is  the  Clergyman  who  attends  in  ordinary  upon  condemned 
malefactors,  and  administers  to  them  the  offices  of  religion. 

Ordination.  The  act  of  conferring  holy  orders,  or  the 
right  and  authority  to  execute  the  offices  of  the  Christian 
ministry.  Ordination  is  not  to  be  confounded  with  the  desig- 
nating  or  setting  apart  of  a  person  to  the  work  of  the 
ministry  ;  for  in  strictness,  any  one  may  do  this  for  himself, 
or  it  may  be  done  for  him  by  his  parents,  guardians,  &c.,  and 
involves  nothing  but  what  any  layman  may  perform  ;  whereas 
ordination  is  the  actual  communication  of  authority  from  a 
legitimate  source,  to  execute  those  functions  which  appertain 
to  the  several  orders  of  the  ministry.  Neither  is  ordination 
to  be  viewed  as  the  appointing  of  a  person  to  the  spiritual 
charge  of  a  particular  congregation  ;  on  the  contrary,  every 
ordained  Clergyman  is  to  be  held  as  a  Minister  of  the  Church 
Catholic,  and  his  location  in  any  particular  sphere  of  labor,  is 
a  mere  accident,  not  affecting  the  validity,  or  the  extent  of  his 
spiritual  powers. 

The  authority  conveyed  in  ordination  is  either  of  human 
or  divine  origin.  If  human,  then  is  it  a  matter  of  slight  con- 
sequence, and  there  is  nothing  to  hinder  any  layman  from 
imparting  it,  but  the  Canons,  customs,  and  usages  of  the 
Church.     On  such  an  hypothesis,  the  Church  might  begin  a 


ORDINATION.  359 

Ministry  de  novo,  every  year  or  month ;  and,  for  any  obliga- 
tion  to  the  contrary,  we  might  be  Episcopal  in  the  summer, 
Presbyterian  in  the  fall,  and  spend  the  winter  in  Congre- 
gationalism. But  this  is  not  the  view  of  the  Church  ;  cer- 
tainly  not  the  doctrine  of  Scripture.  In  God's  Church  none 
can  minister  but  whom  God  sends.  Hence  the  other  hypothe- 
sis is  the  true  one.  Standing  on  divine  right,  the  powers  of 
the  ministry  do  not  come  from  Councils,  Canons,  Decrees, 
&c.,  neither  from  Apostles  nor  Bishops  in  themselves,  but 
from  the  great  Head  of  the  Church,  who  is  the  only  source 
of  ministerial  authority.  The  first  ordinations  in  the  Chris- 
tian Church  were  performed  by  the  Redeemer  himself;  and 
with  these  the  ministry  would  have  ended,  (in  the  absence  of 
a  direct  communication  from  heaven,)  had  he  not  confided  to 
the  Apostles,  who  were  the  first  Bishops  proper,  the  solemn 
prerogative  which  he  himself  exercised,  viz.,  that  of  trans- 
mitting the  ministry  to  others,  and  of  handing  down  the 
ordaining  power  from  Bishop  to  Bishop,  till  the  end  of  time. 
The  power  of  ordaining  was  undoubtedly  imparted  to  the 
Apostles,  and  they  exercised  it  in  the  cases  of  Timothy, 
Titus,  and  others,  conveying  to  these  the  same  extraordinary 
function.  They  also  ordained  elders  or  presbyters  in  all  the 
Churches,  but  did  not  commit  to  these  the  ability  to  ordain. 
This  is  manifest  from  the  fact,  that  no  evidence  can  be  found 
in  the  New  Testament,  of  their  possessing  or  exercising  it ; 
and  since  the  Apostles'  days,  it  has  never  been  acknowledged 
as  a  function  of  the  presbyter's  office,  (much  less  that  of  the 
deacon's,)  in  any  part  of  the  universal  Church.  The  divine 
authority  of  the  ministry  then,  has  come  down  to  our  day  by 
regular  transmission  in  the  lines  of  Bishops,  and  from  them 
alone  can  now  be  obtained  a  right  to  minister  in  sacred 
things.  To  avoid  repetition,  the  reader  will  further  consult 
the  articles  Apostle,  Bishop,  Church,  Episcopacy,  Jure 
Divixo,  and  Uninterrupted  succession. 

In  the  Church  of  England,  it  is  ordered  that  "  no  person 


360  PAL 

shall  be  admitted  a  Deacon  before  he  shall  have  attained  the 
age  of  three  and  twenty  years  complete,  and  no  person  shall 
be  admitted  a  Priest  before  he  shall  have  attained  the  age  of 
four  and  twenty  years  complete."  *  The  Church  in  the 
United  States  prescribes  that  "  Deacon's  orders  shall  not  be 
conferred  on  any  person  until  he  shall  be  twenty-one  years 
old,  nor  Priests'  orders  on  any  one  until  he  shall  be  twenty- 
four  years  old."  And  "no  man  shall  be  consecrated  a 
Bishop  of  this  Church,  until  he  shall  be  thirty  years  old."f 

Ornaments.  A  term  formerly  applied  to  those  garments 
and  marks  of  distinction  which  were  worn  by  the  Clergy  at 
the  administration  of  divine  service.  Thus  by  the  first  rubric 
of  the  English  Prayer-book,  it  is  declared,  "  that  such  Orna- 
ments of  the  Church,  and  the  Ministers  thereof,  at  all  times 
of  their  ministration,  shall  be  retained  and  be  in  use,  as  were 
in  this  Church  of  England,  by  the  authority  of  Parliament,  in 
the  second  year  of  the  reign  of  King  Edward  the  Sixth."  The 
vessels  of  the  holy  Communion  were  also  denominated 
"ornaments." 

Orthodoxy.  Soundness  in  the  true  faith,  or  doctrines  of 
religion,  as  taught  in  the  word  of  God,  and  maintained  in  the 
primitive  ages  of  the  Church. 


Palm  Sunday.  The  Sunday  next  before  Easter.  It  is 
so  called  in  memory  of  Christ's  entry  into  Jerusalem,  when 
the  people  welcomed  him  by  cutting  down  branches  of  the 
palm  trees,  carrying  them  in  their  hands,  and  strewing  them 
in  the  way.  The  festival  has  always  been  observed  with 
great  solemnity. 

*  Acts  44.  Geo.  III.        t  Canon  VIII.  of  the  General  Convention. 


PAR  361 

"Pardons."  In  the  Romish  Church,  pardons  or  indul- 
gences  are  relcasements  from  the  temporal  punishment  of 
sin ;  the  power  of  granting  which  is  supposed  to  be  lodged 
in  the  Pope,  to  be  dispensed  by  him  to  the  Bishops  and  inferior 
Clergy,  for  the  benefit  of  penitents  throughout  the  Church. 
In  the  theory  of  pardons,  the  point  is  assumed,  that  holy  men 
may  accomplish  more  than  is  strictly  required  of  them  by 
the  divine  law  ; — that  there  is  a  meritorious  value  in  this 
overplus  ; — that  such  value  is  transferable,  and  that  it  is  de- 
posited in  the  spiritual  treasury  of  the  Church,  subject  to  the 
disposal  of  the  Pope,  to  be,  on  certain  conditions,  applied  to 
the  benefit  of  those  whose  deficiencies  stand  in  need  of  such 
a  compensation.  A  distinction  is  then  drawn  between  the 
-temporal  and  the  eternal  punishment  of  sin ;  the  former  of 
which  not  only  embraces  penances,  and  all  satisfactions  for 
sin  in  the  present  life,  but  also  the  pains  of  purgatory  in  the 
next.  These  are  supposed  to  be  within  the  control  and  juris- 
diction of  the  Church ;  and,  in  the  case  of  any  individual, 
may  be  meliorated  or  terminated  by  the  imputation  of  so 
much  of  the  overabundant  merits  of  the  saints,  &c.,  as  may 
be  necessary  to  balance  the  deficiences  of  the  sufferer. 

The  privilege  of  selling  pardons,  it  is  well  known,  was 
frequently  granted  by  the  Pope  to  monastic  bodies  in  every 
part  of  the  Church ;  and  the  scandals  and  disorders  conse- 
quent upon  them,  was  one  of  the  first  moving  causes  of  the 
Reformation. 

These  remarks  will  illustrate  the  language  of  the  Episcopal 
Church  in  her  32d  Article,  viz  :  "  The  Romish  doctrine  con- 
cerning  Purgatory,  Pardons,  SfC,  is  a  fond  [foolish]  thing, 
vainly  invented,  and  grounded  upon  no  warranty  of  Scripture, 
but  rather  repugnant  to  the  word  of  God." 

Parish.  The  extent  of  territory  embraced  under  the 
spiritual  jurisdiction  of  a  priest :  or  the  persons  residing 
within  such  a  district,  forming  an  organized  ecclesiastical 
body,  and  worshipping   in  the   same  Church.      The  term 

31 


362  PAR 

"parochia"  was  originally  applied  to  a  territory  embracing 
several  Churches,  such  as  was  afterwards  denominated  a 
"  Diocese."  In  this  was  the  Cathedral  or  Bishop's  Church, 
where  divine  service  was  statedly  performed,  and  to  which  the 
people  resorted  from  the  country  adjacent.  This  Church  form- 
ed a  radiating  point  or  centre,  from  which  the  priests  were 
occasionally  sent  out  by  the  Bishop,  to  instruct  the  people  in 
the  more  remote  parts  of  the  parish  or  diocese,  and  to  admin- 
ister the  Sacraments,  &c.  In  the  course  of  time,  these  priests 
established  smaller  Churches  in  places  where  the  population 
was  numerous,  and  these  were  consecrated  as  oratories  or 
chapels,  having  dependence  on  the  Cathedral,  or  Mother- 
Church.  In  England,  the  secondary  parishes  thus  formed, 
were  far  less  numerous  than  at  present,  one  of  them  fre- 
quently extending  over  a  whole  baronial  territory.  By 
later  usage,  they  have  been  multiplied  to  meet  the  wants  of 
an  increasing  population,  and  are  accurately  defined  by 
boundary  lines,  and  other  ecclesiastical  regulations. 

In  the  United  States,  "where  parish  boundaries  are  not 
defined  by  law,  or  otherwise,  each  city,  borough,  village,  town, 
or  township,  in  which  there  is  one  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
or  congregation,  or  more  than  one  such  Church  or  congrega- 
tion," is  considered  as  forming  the  parish,  or  parishes  of  the 
Clergy  officiating  therein.     See  Diocese. 

Parish-books.  Certain  books  or  documents,  held  by  a 
Rector  or  Vestry,  in  which,  from  time  to  time,  are  recorded 
the  state  and  condition  of  the  parish,  the  transactions  of  the 
Vestry,  and,  in  general,  all  business  details  relative  to  the 
temporal  concerns  of  the  Church. 

Parish  library.  A  collection  of  religious  books  pro- 
vided for  the  use  of  the  people  of  a  parish,  and  usually  kept 
in  the  Vestry-room  or  Church  buildings,  to  be  lent  to  the 
members  of  the  congregation. 

Parishioner.     Any  one  who  belongs  to  a  Parish. 

Parity.     The  same  with  equality  or  similarity  of  rank. 


PAR  363 

The  word  is  used  chiefly  in  relation  to  the  views  of  those 
who  hold,  that  in  the  Christian  Ministry  there  should  exist 
but  one  degree  or  grade  of  office, — or  in  other  words,  that 
there  should  he  among  Ministers  an  equality  or  parity,  all 
being  alike  in  point  of  rank.  Whereas,  in  the  Episcopal 
Church,  as  with  the  Apostles,  there  exist  the  three  orders  or 
degrees  of  Bishops,  Priests,  and  Deacons,  making  an  impar- 
ity or  inequality  of  rank.     See  Imparity. 

Parochial.     Pertaining  to  a  Parish. 

Parochial  recognition.  In  the  Institution  of  a  Min- 
ister into  a  Church,  the  public  acknowledgment  of  him  by 
the  people,  as  their  chosen  and  lawful  Pastor,  signified  by  the 
Churchwarden  presenting  him  the  keys  of  the  Church,  and 
in  behalf  of  the  Parish,  ratifying  the  relation  in  which  he 
stands. 

Parson.  A  clerical  designation  seldom  used  in  the  Ameri- 
can Church.  In  England,  it  ••  properly  signifies  the  Rector 
of  a  parish  Church ;  because  during  the  time  of  his  incum- 
bency, he  represents  the  Church,  and  in  the  eye  of  the  law 
sustains  the  person  thereof;  as  well  in  suing,  as  in  being 
sued,  in  any  action  touching  the  same."*  It  has  been  re- 
marked by  a  divine  of  the  Anglican  Church,  that  "  the  ap- 
pellation of  parson  is  the  most  honorable  title  that  a  parish 
priest  can  enjoy  :  for  such  an  one,  as  Lord  Coke  observes, 
can  be  said  "vicem  seu  personam  ecclesise  genere."t  [To 
become  the  representative  or  substitute  of  the  Church.] 

Parsonage.  In  its  proper  sense,  this  term  signifies  "  a 
parish  Church,  endowed  with  a  house,  glebe,"  &c.t  It  is  so 
used  in  the  Ecclesiastical  enactments  of  the  Church  of 
England;  for  example,  "Every  Archbishop  and  Duke  may 
have  six  Chaplains,  whereof  every  one  shall  and  may  pur- 
chase  license  or  dispensation,  and   take,   receive,  and  keep 


Goddolph,  p.  185.  tLaws  Relating  to  the  Clergy. 


364  PAS 

two  parsonages  ox  benefices  with  cure  of  soul."*  Through- 
out the  act  from  which  this  is  quoted,  and  in  both  canon  and 
civil  law,  the  word  parsonage  is  used  as  synonymous  with  the 
Church  and  its  temporalities. 

In  the  United  States,  the  term  is  usually  employed  in  a 
more  restricted  sense,  to  denote  the  house,  &c.  belonging  to 
a  Church,  and  assigned  as  the  residence  of  the  Minister.  In 
this  sense  the  Church  and  Parsonage  are  regarded  as  distinct 
things. 

"  Particular  Church."  See  Article  XXXIV»,  where 
it  is  said  that  "  Every  Particular  or  'National  Church,  hath 
authority  to  ordain,  change,  and  abolish  Ceremonies  or  Rites  ;" 
&c. — i.  e.  this  power  is  not  confined  to  the  legislation  of  the 
Church  in  general^  or  throughout  the  world,  but  belongs  to 
each  of  those  great  divisions  which  unitedly  form  the  Church 
Catholic.  Matters  of  mere  form  are  variable,  and  may  be 
adapted  to  the  climate,  genius  of  the  people,  &c.;  but  matters 
of  faith  stand  on  the  higher  ground  of  revelation,  and  are 
therefore  common  to  the  entire  Church,  and  of  invariable  ob- 
ligation. Hence  the  Article  does  not  claim  any  authority  in 
the  Church  to  alter,  ordain,  or  abolish  these,  but  limits  its  pow- 
er to  things  of  its  own  institution, 

Paschal.  Pertaining  to  the  Passover.  The  lamb  offered 
in  this  Jewish  festival,  being  a  prominent  type  of  Christ,  the 
terms  paschal  and  paschal  lamb,  are  often  used  in  application 
to  the  Redeemer.  An  example  occurs  in  the  Proper  Preface 
for  Easter-day,  in  the  Communion  Office;  thus,  " — thy  Son 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord ;  for  he  is]  the  very  Paschal  Lamb, 
which  was  offered  for  us,  and  hath  taken  away  the  sin  of  the 
world,"  &c. 

Passing-bell.  It  was  formerly  a  custom  of  the  Church, 
to  give  notice  by  the  tolling  of  a  bell,  when  any  one  was- 
about  to  depart  this  life.      The  object  of  this  was  to  secure 

*  Act  of  21.  Henry  VIII.  concerning  Residences. 


PAS 


365 


the  private  prayers  of  the  faithful  in  behalf  of  the  person  dying. 
The  care  of  the  Church  over  her  children,  is  beautifully 
depicted  in  this  custom,  and  in  the  Canons,  &c.,  referring  to 
it.  '•  When  any  is  passing  out  of  this  life,"  says  the  67th 
Canon  of  the  Church  of  England,  "  a  bell  shall  be  tolled,  and 
the  Minister  shall  not  then  slack  to  do  his  last  duty."  The 
people  were  thus  solemnly  invited  *'  to  put  up  their  last  and 
most  affectionate  prayers  for  their  dying  neighbour,  and  to 
help  their  friend  in  those  extremities,  which  themselves  must 
assuredly  one  day  feel.  However,  if  their  prayers  are  wan- 
ted, it  is  more  requisite  that  the  Minister  should  be  diligent 
in  his,  who  should  therefore  constantly  be  sent  for,  when 
these  agonies  approach,  that  so,  he  may  assist  the  dying  soul 
in  its  flight  to  God,  and  alarm  the  living  by  such  an-  example 
of  mortality."* 

Passion.  Suffering.  In  theology,  the  last  sufferings  of 
our  Blessed  Redeemer.  Hence  the  designation  of  Passion- 
week,  in  which  these  events  are  commemorated  by  the 
Church.  "  Christ  took  on  himself  human  nature,"  says  La- 
timer, "being  willing  to  deliver  man  out  of  this  miserable  way, 
and  was  content  to  suffer  cruel  passion  [sufferings]  in  shedding 
his  blood  for  all  mankind." 

Passion  week.  The  last  week  of  Lent,  in  which  the 
Church  commemorates  some  of  the  most  affecting  events  in 
the  work  of  our  redemption.  "This  whole  week,  from  the 
extraordinary  devotion  of  the  Church  in  it,  was  called  the 
Great  Week,  and  the  Holy  Week,  and  the  observation  of  it  is 
so  ancient,  that  it  is  ascribed  to  the  Apostles  themselves. 

It  was  called  the  Great  Week  because  in  this  week  was 
transacted  an  affair  of  the  last  importance  to  the  happiness  of 
man,  and  actions  truly  great  were  performed  to  secure  his 
salvation:    death    was  conquered,  the   devil's  tyranny   was 


Wheatly. 
31* 


366  JPAs 

abolished,  the  partilion-wall  betwixt  Jew  and  Gentile  was 
broken  down,  and  God  and  man  were  reconciled. 

"  It  was  called  the  Holy  week,  from  the  devout  exercises  in 
which  Christians  employed  themselves,  at  this  time,  as  spe- 
cial acts  of  penitence  for  those  sins  which  crucified  the  Lord 
of  life. 

"  It  is  also  called  Passion  or  Suffering  Week,  from  its  con- 
secration to  the  memory  of  the  bitter  sufferings  of  our  Re- 
deemer. 

"  This  extraordinary  fact  was  formerly  observed  with  that 
strictness  and  humiliation,  that  some  fasted  three,  some  four, 
and  others,  who  could  bear  it,  all  the  six  days  successively. 

"  Our  Church  uses  her  utmost  endeavours  to  retain  this  de- 
cent and  pious  custom ;  for  she  calls  us  every  day  this  week 
to  meditate  upon  our  Lord's  sufferings,  and  collects  in  the 
Lessons,  Epistles^  and  Gospels,  most  of  those  portions  of 
Scripture  that  relate  to  this  tragical  subject  ;  to  increase  our 
humiliation  by  the  consideration  of  our  Saviour's  ;  to  the  end 
that,  with  penitent  hearts,  and  firm  resolutions  of  dying  to 
sin,  we  may  attend  him  through  the  various  stages  of  his  bit- 
ter passion." 

Pastor.  The  Minister  to  whom  is  committed  the  care  of 
a  Church  or  Parish. 

Pastoral.  Belonging  to  a  parish.  Thus  pastoral  duii/, 
is  the  duty  or  labor  which  appertains  to  the  office  of  a  pastor. 
The  Pastoral  Office,  is  the  office  of  one  who  is  lawfully  ap- 
pointed to  watch  over  God's  people,  as  a  shepherd  guards  and 
protects  his  flock. 

Pastoral  letter.  An  occasional  letter  written  by  a  pas- 
tor to  his  flock,  affectionately  instructing  them  on  some  topic 
concerning  which  his  advice  and  admonition  are  needed. 

Also  the  name  given  to  a  letter  prepared  by  the  House  of 
Bishops  at  the  General  Convention,  and  designed  to  be  pub- 
licly read  in  all  the  Churches. 

The  7th  Canon  of  the  General  Convention  ordains,  that  at 


PAT  367 

each  meeting  of  that  body,  a  report  on  the  state  of  the  Church 
shall  be  sent  from  the  House  of  Clerical  and  Lay  Deputies 
to  the  Bishops,  "with  a  request  that  they  will  draw  up,  and 
cause  to  be  published,  a  pastoral  letter  to  the  members  of  the 
Church.  And  it  is  hereby  made  the  duty  of  every  clergyman 
having  a  pastoral  charge,  when  any  such  letter  is  published,  to 
read  the  said  pastoral  letter  to  his  congregation  on  some  oc- 
casion of  public  worship." 

Pastoral  staff.     See  Crosier. 

"Pate."  Psalm  vii.  17,  in  the  Prayer-book  ;  "his  wick- 
edness shall  fall  on  his  own  'pate^ — that  is,  the  top  or  crown 
of  the  head,  as  if  it  were  written,  "  his  wickedness  shall  fall  on 
the  crown  of  his  head." 

Paten,  Patena,  or  Discus.  The  plate  or  dish  on  which 
the  bread  is  placed  at  the  Holy  Communion,  and  from  which 
the  Priest  distributes  it  to  the  Communicants. 

Pater  noster.  The  Latin  of  "  Our  Father."  A  ti- 
tle of  the  Lord's  Prayer,  in  common  use  among  Roman 
Catholics. 

Patriarch.  In  the  ancient  Churches,  and  in  some  at  the 
present  day,  an  office  of  dignity  enjoyed  by  a  Bishop,  who 
exercises  a  certain  jurisdiction  over  several  provinces  with 
their  dioceses,  and  over  their  metropolitans  or  archbishops, 
and  the  diocesan  bishops  below  them. 

Patriarchate.  The  district  or  bounds  of  a  Patriarch's 
jurisdiction.  The  Christian  Church  was  originally  divided 
into  four  Patriarchates,  viz.,  those  of  Rome,  Alexandria,  An- 
tioch,  and  Jerusalem,  over  each  of  which  a  Patriarch  pre- 
sided. 

Patron.  In  England,  one  who  has  the  gift  and  disposal 
of  a  Church  or  benefice. 

Patronage.  In  England,  the  right  of  appointing  and  pre- 
senting a  clergyman  to  a  Church  or  ecclesiastical  benefice. 
The  person  in  whom  this  is  vested,  is  entitled  the  patron  of  a 
Church,  the  disposal  of  it  being  in  his  gift,  connected   with 


368  -  PEN 

an  obligation  on  his  part  to  defend  and  preserve  the  rights  of 
the  Church  from  injury. 

St.  Paul's  Conversion.     See  Conversion  of  St.  Paul. 

Pelagians.  A  race  of  ancient  heretics  who  espoused  the 
opinions  of  Pelagius,  a  British  monk,  as  set  forth  by  him  at 
Rome,  in  the  early  part  of  the  fifth  century.  Pelagius  taught 
"  that  the  consequences  of  the  sin  of  our  first  parents  were 
confined  to  themselves,— that  men  are  now  born  in  the  same 
state  in  which  Adam  was  created, — that  their  natural  powers 
are  sufficient  to  work  out  their  own  salvation, — and  that 
divine  grace,  although  necessary,  is  only  so  for  the  purpose 
of  arousing  men  to  the  exertion  of  those  powers."*  In 
Article  IX.,  an  error  of  the  Pelagians  is  exposed  and  repro- 
bated. 

Penance.  One  of  those  Sacraments  of  the  Romish 
Church  which  the  25th  Article  of  Religion  considers  as 
having  become  such  through  "the  corrupt  following  of  the 
Apostles." 

The  term  is  also  used  in  Artile  XXXIIL,  where  it  is 
synonymous  wiih penitence  or  repentance.  In  the  same  sense 
it  was  frequently  used  by  the  old  writers.  Wiclif  says,  that 
"the  cross  of  penance  hath  four  parts.  The  1st  is  sorrow  for 
losing  the  love  of  God.  The  2d  is  sorrow  for  losing  the  joy 
of  heaven.  The  3d  is  sorrow  for  deserving  the  pain  of  hell. 
And  the  4th  is  sorrow  for  serving  to  the  fiend,  (devil,)  and 
sin."t 

Penitential  Psalms.  A  designation  given  to  those  in 
which  the  Psalmist  penitently  mourns  the  guilt  of  sin,  and 
appeals  to  the  pardoning  mercy  of  God.  These  are  the  6th, 
32d,  38th,  51st,  102d,  130th,  and  143d. 

Pentateuch.  From  'rfsvrs,  five,  and  7sv)(^os,  a  book,  or 
volume.     The  general  or   collective  designation  of  the   five 


*  Professor  Whittingham,  in  Jewell's  Apology,  p.  23* 
tWiclif  s  "  Poor  Caitiff." 


PET 


369 


books  of  Moses,  viz.,  Genesis,  Exodus,  Leviticus,  Numbers, 
and  Deuteronomy. 

Pentecost.     See  Whitsunday. 

"Perfect  charity."  This  expression  of  the  Church  is 
used  to  designate  that  spirit  of  true  Christian  benevolence 
and  affection,  which  should  reign  among  all  the  members  of 
the  body  of  Christ — the  Church.  The  epithet  of  'perfect  is 
applied  to  it,  because  this  is  the  scriptural  standard,  which  the 
Church  claims  no  authority  to  alter  or  modify. 

At  the  Holy  Communion,  the  people  are  exhorted  to  "be 
in  perfect  charity  with  all  men."  And  in  a  prayer  at  the 
close  of  the  Visitation  of  the  Sick,  are  these  words,  "  that, 
when  we  shall  have  served  thee  in  our  generation,  w^e  may 
be  gathered  unto  our  fathers,  having  the  testimony  of  a  good 
conscience,  &c.,  &c.,  and  in  perfect  charity  with  the  world." 
The  ae^rec  of  this  charity  is  frequently  illustrated  in  the  IJt- 
urgy  as  the  practice  of  universal  good-will,  the  spirit  of  en- 
tire forgiveness,  and  the  disposition  to  forbear  under  all  provo- 
cations. A  better  example  cannot  be  selected  than  the  follow- 
ing passage  from  the  Exhortation  to  prisoners  under  sentence 
of  death:  "Be  in  charity  with  all  men ;  being  ready  sincere- 
ly to  forgive  all  such  as  have  offended  you,  not  excepting 
those  who  have  persecuted  you  unto  death.  And,  though  this 
may  seem  a  hard  saying,  yet  know  assuredly,  that  without  it, 
your  charity  is  not  yet  perfect." 

Perpetual  Curate.  In  the  Church  of  England,  a  Cu- 
rate having  a  settled  income,  and  not  liable  to  removal,  like 
ordinary  Curates,  by  the  Bishop  or  Rector. 

St.  Peter's  Day.  The  eminent  Apostle  commemora- 
ted on  this  day,  was  born  at  Bethsaida,  a  town  of  Galilee,  and 
was  a  fisherman  by  profession.  He  was,  it  is  generally  thouught, 
the  elder  brother  of  St.  Andrew. 

It  is  evident,  that  he,  St.  James,  and  St.  John,  had  a  more 
peculiar  intimacy    with  our  Savior  than  any  of  the  rest  of 


370  PHI 

the  Apostles,  from  their  conversing  more  frequently  with  him 
in  private. 

The  Church,  on  this  day,  celebrates  his  memory.  The 
energy  and  activity  of  this  Apostle  are  well  known.  He  de- 
clared the  Gospel  with  such  success  after  our  Lord's  ascen- 
sion, that,  by  a  single  discourse,  three  thousand  souls  were 
converted.  He  was  afterwards  sent  by  the  Apostolical  col- 
lege, together  with  John,  to  confirm  the  new  converts  at  Sa- 
maria. After  being  imprisoned  by  Herod,  and  miraculously 
delivered,  he  travelled  into  Phoenicia,  and  subsequently  into 
Pontus,  Galatia,  Cappadocia,  Bithynia,  and  established  a  bish- 
opric, where  he  himself  sometimes  presided,  in  Antioch.  Af- 
ter this  he  visited  Rome,  and  withstood  Simon  Magus,  who 
had  by  this  time  acquired  much  fame  in  that  city  as  a  magi- 
cian. This  led  to  the  imprisonment  of  the  Apostle,  and  final- 
ly his  martyrdom.  "  St.  Peter  being  first  scourged,  was  led 
out  to  be  crucified  upon  the  hill  called  Janiculus,  desiring  to 
be  fastened  to  the  cross  with  his  head  downwards,  alleging 
that  he  thought  himself  unworthy  to  die  exactly  after  the 
same  manner  with  his  Lord." 

St.  Philip  and  St.  James's  day.  "  St.  Philip  was  born 
at  Bethsaida,  a  town  of  Galilee,  near  the  sea  of  Tiberias,  in 
the  barren  part  of  the  country  of  Judea,  the  principal  inhabi- 
tants wheerof  w^ere  poor  illiterate  fishermen,  but  of  whom  our 
blessed  Savior,  residing  in  that  remote  place,  was  pleased  to 
make  choice  of  his  disciples. 

He  was  the  next,  after  St.  Andrew  and  St.  Peter,  called  to 
the  Apostleship;  though  some  think  before  them." 

After  the  ascension  of  the  Redeemer,  this  Apostle  exercised 
his  ministry  in  Asia.  He  closed  his  labors  at  Hierapolis,  a 
city  of  Asia  Minor,  now  called  Aleppo,  where,  as  we  learn 
from  St.  Chrysostom,  he  suffered  martydom. 

Si.  James  the  Less.  The  reason  of  this  appellation  was, 
either  because  he  was  less  in  point  of  stature,  or,  which  is 


PIT  ^  371 

most  probable,  because  he  was  younger,  and  not  so  much  ad- 
vanced in  years,  when  he  came  to  the  Apostleship. 

He  was  the  son  of  Alpheus,  and   was  otherwise  called  Cle- 
lopas,  and  for  distinction  sake,  the  brother  of  the  Lord.     In  re- 
gard to  his  first  title,  see  Luke  xxiv.  21.       In  regard  to  the 
last,  see  Galatians  i.  19. 

After  our  Savior's  resurrection,  he  was  constituted  Bishop 
of  Jerusalem,  and  presided,  as  it  is  thought,  at  the  first  coun- 
cil held  there,  (see  Acts  xv.,)  and  directed  the  debates  of  the 
Apostles  concerning  the  Jewish  Ceremonies. 

PiNCKNEY  Lectures.  "  Charles  Pinckney,  chief  justice 
of  South  Carolina,  under  the  provincial  government,  (father  of 
the  late  Gen.  C.  C.  Pinckney,)  who  died  in  1758,  by  his  last 
will  directed  that  two  sermons,  in  May  and  November  annu- 
ally, being  on  the  first  Wednesday  after  the  second  Tuesday 
in  each  of  these  months,  should  be  preached  in  St.  Philip's 
Church,  Charleston,  on  the  •  Greatness  of  God,  and  his  good- 
ness to  all  creatures,'  with  the  view,  as  he  states,' 'to  en- 
courage and  promote  religious  and  virtuous  principles  and 
practices  among  us,  and  to  raise  an  ardent  love  of  the  Deity  in 
us,  and  in  order  to  excite  an  emulation  in  my  wealthy  coun- 
trymen, whose  abilities  and  fortunes  will  better  enable  them 
thereto,  for  establishing  lectures  among  us,  in  humble  imita- 
tion of  those  founded  by  the  Hon.  Mr.  Boyle,  in  Great  Bri- 
tain.' For  effecting  these  pious  purposes  the  will  states  :  '  I 
do  hereby  charge  my  said  mansion,  and  land,  and  buildings, 
in  Colleton  square,  devised  to  my  eldest  son,  with  the  pay- 
ment of  five  guineas  yearly,  and  every  year  for  ever,  unto 
such  lectures,'  &c." 

"  Pitiful."  This  word  and  its  derivations  have  by  modern 
usage  been  almost  limited  to  the  sense  of  mean,  contemptible, 
or  insignificant.  In  the  Bible  and  Prayer-book,  the  old  and 
primary  meaning  of  full  of  mercy,  covipassionate,  or  tender, 
is  retained.  "  Be  pitiful,  be  courteous,"  says  St.  Peter, 
(I.  Epistle,  iii.  8.)     The  English  Prayer-book  gives  us  these 


372  Poi 

examples  ;  " though  we  be  tied  and  bound  with  the  chain 

of  our  sins,  yet  let  the  pitifulness  of  thy  great  mercy  loose 
us,"  &c.*  Again :  ^^ pitifully  behold  the  sorrows  of  our 
hearts  ;  "  which  petition  in  the  Litany,  is  thus  altered  in  the 
American  Prayer-book  :  "  With  pity  behold  the  sorrows  of 
our  hearts."  In  these,  the  original  and  better  sense  of  the 
word  is  alone  intended.  In  the  Primer  of  King  Edward  VI., 
there  is  this  expression  :  "  O  pitiful  Physician,  and  Healer 
both  of  body  and  soul,  Christ  Jesu  !  "  And  Latimer,  in  his 
sermon  on  the  Birth  of  Christ,  remarks,  "  Preachers  exhort 
us  to  godliness,  to  do  good  works,  to  be  pitiful,  and  hberal 
unto  the  poor,"  &c.,  that  is,  to  be  compassionate,  tender- 
hearted, and  sympathizing  to  them. 

"  Plight."  An  antiquated  word  occurring  in  the  Order 
for  the  Solemnization  of  Matrimony,  thus  :  "  and  thereto  I 
plight  thee  my  troth ;  "  that  is,  "  I  most  solemnly  pledge  thee 
my  truth  and  sincerity  in  this  engagement." 

Plurality.  In  the  Church  of  England,  the  holding  of 
more  than  one  benefice  or  parochial  cure,  by  a  Rector. 
This  is  forbidden  by  the  41st  Canon,  except  to  those  who 
"  shall  be  thought  very  well  worthy  for  their  learning,  and 
very  well  able  and  sufficient  to  discharge  their  duty ; "  and 
also,  that  by  an  express  stipulation  they  shall  bind  themselves 
to  reside  personally  in  each  benefice  "  for  some  reasonable 
time  in  every  year."  The  said  benefices  are  also  to  be  not 
more  than  thirty  miles  asunder,  and  the  Rector  is  bound  to 
keep  a  Curate  in  that  part  in  which  he  does  not  ordinarily 
reside. 

"  Pointed."  In  the  English  Prayer-book,  the  Psalter, 
Venite,  Te  Deum,  &c.  &c.,  are  punctuated  throughout  in  a 
peculiar  manner,  by  the  insertion  of  a  colon  in  or  near  the 
middle  of  each  verse,  without  regard  to  grammatical  rules. 
This  is  done  with  the  design  of  facilitating  the  chanting  of 

♦  Occasional  Prayer. 


pos  373 

them,  by  presenting  to  the  eye  the  most  natural  division  of 
the  verse,  or  that  which  will  most  readily  correspond  with 
the  movement  of  the  chant  tune.  In  allusion  to  this,  the 
title  of  the  English  Prayer-book  states,  that  the  Psalms  of 
David  are  '^pointed  (or  punctuated)  as  they  are  to  be  sung  or 
said  in  Churches."  In  the  American  editions,  the  grammat- 
ical punctuation  has  been  restored,  and  the  above  portion  of 
the  title  omitted. 

Polity,  Ecclesiastical.  The  order  and  government  of  the 
Church.  See  Apostle,  Bishop,  Church  government,  and 
Episcopacy. 

"Ports."  In  the  9th  Psalm,  at  the  14th  verse,  in  the 
Prayer-book,  we  read  thus ;  "  That  I  may  show  all  thy 
praises  within  the  'porls  of  the  daughter  of  Zion."  The  word 
does  not  here  refer  to  a  harbor  or  place  for  ships,  but  is  used 
according  to  its  ancient  signification  for  the  gates  of  a  city ; 
the  meaning  of  the  verse  will  therefore  be,  "  that  I  may  show 
forth  all  thy  praises  within  the  gates  of  the  daughter  of  Sion," 
that  is,  inside  the  gates  of  the  holy  city,  or  in  the  streets  and 
public  places  of  the  city  where]  God  loved  to  dwell.  See 
Psalm  Ixxiii.  27. 

PosT-coMMUNioN.  That  portion  of  the  Communion  Office 
which  is  after  the  consecration  and  delivery  of  the  elements. 
See  Ante-communion. 

PosTiLS.  A  name  anciently  given  to  Sermons  or  Homi- 
lies.  The  name  sprung  from  the  fact  that  these  were  usually 
delivered  immediately  after  reading  of  the  Gospel,  {quasi 
post  ilia  sc.  Evangelica.)  Also,  in  printed  expositions  of 
Scripture,  from  the  text  being  first  exhibited,  and  post  ilia 
(after  the  words  of  the  text)  the  explication  of  the  writer.  * 

Postures.  The  bodily  attitudes  assumed  in  the  various 
parts  of  divine  worship.  No  act  whatsoever  can  be  perform- 
ed, without  the  body  taking  some  posture.     This  is  the  case 


*  Home's  Introduction.    II.  p.  747. 
32 


374  PRA 

in  divine  worship,  as  well  as  in  matters  of  less  consequence. 
The  only  question  therefore  is,  whether  all  possible  postures 
are  equally  appropriate  in  that  worship,  and  in  its  different 
departments.  Reason,  Scripture,  and  universal  consent, 
testify  that  they  are  not.  Kneeling  and  prostration  seem 
peculiarly  expressive  of  penitent  humility.  Bowing,  of  deep 
veneration.  Standing,  of  joy  and  thanksgiving.  Hence, 
the  Church  has  wisely  legislated  on  this  matter,  recommend- 
ing her  children  to  observe  with  uniformity,  those  long- 
established  attitudes,  which  are  vindicated  by  reason,  and 
sanctioned  by  the  example  of  Christ,  his  Apostles,  and  the 
holiest  of  men  from  the  creation  of  the  world. 

As  a  general  rule,  the  Church  enjoins  kneeling  in  con- 
fession  and  prayer ;  standing  in  praise,  the  reciting  of  the 
creed,  and  in  the  exhortations  of  the  liturgy- ;  and  allows 
sitting  during  the  reading  of  Scripture,  and  the  delivery  of 
sermons,  &;c. 

Power  of  the  Keys.     See  Keys,  Power  of  the. 

Praise.  A  reverent  acknowledgment  of  the  perfections 
of  God,  and  of  the  blessings  flowing  from  them  to  mankind, 
usually  expressed  in  hymns  of  gratitude  and  thanksgiving, 
and  especially  in  the  reception  of  the  holy  eucharist — that 
"sacrifice  of  praise,"  and  sublimest  token  of  our  joy. 

Prayer.  This  duty  may  be  described  as  "  an  offering  up 
our  desires  to  God,  for  things  agreeable  to  his  will,  in  the 
name  of  Christ,  by  the  help  of  his  Spirit,  with  confession  of 
our  sins,  and  thankful  acknowledgment  of  his  mercies." 
The  necessity  and  obligation  of  prayer  take  their  rise  from 
the  fact,  that  God  requires  it  from  us,  as  an  acknowledgment 
of  his  sovereignty,  and  as  a  condition  on  which  is  suspended 
the  bestowal  of  the  blessings  we  need.  It  has  therefore 
always  formed  a  most  important  part  of  the  public  services 
of  the  Church,  being  the  basis  of  every  known  liturgy,  and 
the  constant  subject  of  all  occasional  and  devotional  offices. 
Respecting  the  mode  and  varieties  of  prayer.  See  Depre- 


PRE  375 

CATIONS,  Form,  Intercessions,  Litany,  Liturgy,  and 
Supplications. 

Prayer. DAYS.  Though  the  service  of  the  Church  is 
intended  for  daily  use,  yet  in  the  United  States  the  custom 
has  never  come  into  general  practice.  As  a  substitute  for 
this,  and  the  nearest  approximation  the  times  will  allow, 
to  the  original  usage,  certain  days  of  the  week  are  selected 
by  some  of  the  Churches  in  the  larger  cities,  on  which  morn- 
ing  service  is  publicly  held.  Such  days  are  denominated 
"  Prayer-days,"  and  are  thus  distinguished  from  the  usual 
"holy.days."  Sec  the  rubrics  before  the  Order  of  Public 
Baptism. 

Preacher.  One  who  publicly  declares  and  enforces  the 
doctrines  of  religion,  and  other  subjects  embraced  in  the 
scope  of  Christianity.  The  term  is  particularly  applied  to  a 
Clergyman  engaged  to  deliver  courses  of  sermons  at  stated 
times,  or  to  fill  a  pulpit  on  extraordinary  occasions.  As  a 
general  title  for  the  ministry,  it  is  little  used  in  the  Episcopal 
Church,  being  too  narrow  in  its  signification. 

Preaching.  Proclaiming,  or  publicly  setting  forth  the 
truths  of  religion.  Hence  the  reading  of  Scripture  to  the 
congregation,  is  one  branch  of  preaching,  and  is  so  denom- 
inated  in  Acts  xv.  21.  "Moses  of  old  time  hath  in  every 
city  them  that  preach  him,  being  read  in  the  synagogues 
every  Sabbath-day."  The  term  is,  however,  generally  re- 
stricted  to  the  delivering  of  sermons,  lectures,  &c.  The 
authority  to  perform  this  office  was  originally  committed  to 
all  the  grades  of  the  ministry  ;  and  in  the  apostolic  age, 
when  gifts  of  utterance,  and  other  extraordinary  qualifica- 
lions  were  common,  no  restriction  was  necessary  in  the 
exercise  of  this  function,  nor  does  it  appear  ever  to  have  been 
laid  on  those  to  whom  any  office  of  the  ministry  was  com- 
mitted.  But  in  after  ages,  when  the  circumstances  of  the 
Church  had  materially  changed,  and  the  people  were  abun- 
dantly supplied  with  pastors,  a  greater  degree  of  care  and  dis- 


376  PREACHING. 

crimination  was  found  necessary.  The  liturgical  services 
aiad  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures  were  therefore  committed 
to  the  inferior  Clergy,  as  well  as  to  the  Bishops  ;  but  public 
expositions  of  the  word  of  God  were  usually  confined  to 
these  latter,  for  the  more  secure  preservation  of  the  integrity 
of  the  faith.  Presbyters,  however,  were  in  some  cases  al- 
lowed to  exercise  this  part  of  their  office,  especially  when 
they  exhibited  qualifications  of  a  superior  order.  Among  the 
Greeks,  Basil,  Chrysostom,  and  Gregory  Nazianzen,  were 
eminently  distinguished  for  their  florid  and  eloquent  dis- 
courses and  homilies ;  while  Jerome,  Augustine,  and  others, 
maintained  a  high  reputation  among  the  Latins.  Their 
homilies  were  chiefly  on  the  expository  system,  and  varied 
in  length  according  to  the  occasion  and  the  subject,  many  of 
them  occupying  only  from  eight  to  ten  minutes  in  their  de- 
livery, while  others  were  of  equal  extent  with  a  modern  ser- 
mon. During  the  middle  ages,  preaching  degenerated  very 
much  from  the  noble  models  which  had  been  set  by  the 
golden-mouthed  orators  of  better  days ;  and  what  with  the 
subtleties  of  the  school-men,  and  the  influence  of  a  corrupted 
taste  in  the  people,  theology  and  wild  metaphysics  were  given 
in  wedlock,  and  brought  forth  a  brood  of  mystical  dogmas 
and  theses,  as  admirable  for  their  obscurity  as  for  their 
unprofitableness. 

The  Reformation  broke  in  upon  this  abuse  of  the  pulpit, 
with  a  determination  to  restore  the  banner  of  the  cross  to  its 
rightful  eminence.  The  Church,  however,  found  many  of 
her  Clergy,  at  first,  too  feeble  to  venture  far  without  her 
kindly  help.  For  these,  provision  was  made  by  the  publica- 
tion of  two  books  of  Homilies,  admirably  adapted  to  the 
times  and  the  exigency,  and  which,  when  burnished  afresh, 
may  do  essential  service  in  another  polemical  campaign. 
The  Church  did  not  halt  here,  but  set  on  foot  a  process  of 
ecclesiastical  training,  the  subjects  of  which  have  since,  not 
only  purified  her  pulpits,  and  caused  the  voice  of  joy  and 


PRE  377 

praise  to  resound  in  the  dwellings  of  the  righteous,  but  have 
given  her  a  name  and  a  rank  in  Christendom  to  which  none 
can  look  without  veneration.  The  American  Church  is  thus 
proud  to  walk  in  the  steps  of  her  saintly  Mother ;  and  we 
trust  that  the  same  nervous  tone  of  orthodoxy  which  has 
sounded  from  the  one,  may  ever  be  echoed  from  the  other. 
Bred  in  the  same  school, — taught  in  the  same  faith,— blessed 
with  the  same  liturgy, — and,  more  than  all,  protected  by  the 
same  Bishop  of  souls, — may  the  word  of  Christ  dwell  in  both 
richly,  and  his  kingdom  prosper  in  their  hands. 

Prebend.  In  the  Church  of  England,  the  stipend  which  is 
received  by  a  prebendary,  from  the  revenues  of  the  Cathedral 
or  Collegiate  Church  with  which  he  is  connected. 

Prebendary.  A  Clergyman  attached  to  a  Cathedral  or 
Collegiate  Church,  who  enjoys  a  prebend,  in  consideration 
of  his  officiating  at  times  in  the  Church.  See  Prebend,  and 
Canon. 

Precomposed.  This  term  is  applied  to  prayers,  &;c.,  which 
are  composed  before  the  time  when  they  are  publicly  offered, 
to  distinguish  them  from  such  as  are  extempore,  or  made  when 
the  Minister  delivers  them.  The  whole  of  the  Church  ser- 
vice, as  set  forth  in  the  Prayer-book,  is  a  precomposed  form. 
See  Liturgy. 

Prefaces.  Certain  short  occasional  forms  in  the  Com- 
munion service,  which  are  introduced  by  the  Priest,  on  par- 
ticular festivals,  immediately  before  the  Anthem,  beginning, 
<'  Therefore  with  angels  and  archangels,"  &c.  This  anthem 
is  a  song  of  praise,  or  an  act  of  profound  adoration,  equally 
proper  at  all  times ;  but  the  Church  calls  upon  us  more  es- 
pecially to  use  it  on  her  chief  festivals,  in  remembrance  of 
those  events,  which  are  then  celebrated.  Thus,  on  Christ- 
mas day  the  Priest  having  said, — "It  is  very  meet,  right, 
and  our  bounden  duty,  that  we  should  at  all  times  and  in  all 
places  give  thanks  unto  thee,  O  Lord  [Holy  Father]  AU 
mighty,  everlasting  God," — adds  the  proper  preface,  which 

32* 


378  fRE 

assigns  the  reason  for  peculiar  thankfulness  on  that  particu- 
lar  day,  viz  : — "  Because  thou  didst  give  Jesus  Christ,  thine 
only  Son,  to  be  born  as  at  this  time  for  us  ;  who,  by  the  opera- 
tion  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  was  made  very  man,  of  the  substance 
of  the  Virgin  Mary  his  Mother  ;  and  that  without  spot  of  sin, 
to  make  us  clean  from  all  sin  :  Therefore,  with  angels,"  &c. 
The  days  for  which  these  prefaces  are  provided,  are, — Christ- 
mas, Easter,  Ascension,  and  seven  days  after.  Also,  Whit- 
sunday, and  six  days  after ;  together  with  Trinity  Sunday. 
The  antiquity  of  such  prefaces  may  be  estimated  from  the 
fact  that  they  are  mentioned  and  enjoined  in  the  103d  Canon 
of  the  African  Code,  which  Code  was  formed  of  the  decisions 
of  many  Councils  prior  to  the  date,  418. 

In  the  Order  of  Confirmation,  the  introductory  address  is 
also  called  a  preface. 

Prelacy.  The  office  and  rank  of  a  Bishop  or  Prelate. 
The  term  is  also  used,  frequently  in  a  contemptuous  sense,  by 
the  non-conformists  and  others,  for  the  entire  system  of 
Episcopal  Ministerial  order. 

Prelate.  A  title  or  designation  belonging  only  to  the 
office  of  a  Bishop.  For  example  : — "  On  Sunday  morning, 
the  Bishop  of  London  held  an  ordination.  In  the  afternoon, 
the  same  Prelate  confirmed  fifty  persons." 

The  term  was  anciently  used  with  less  restriction,  being 
sometimes  employed  according  to  its  derivation,  for  those 
who  were  held  in  high  esteem  and  reverence,  without  regard 
to  their  place  of  rank  in  the  Ministry.  Accordingly,  Arch- 
bishop  Seeker,  in  his  second  charge,  admits  that  in  this  broad 
sense  "  parish  Priests  are  Prcelaii."'*  So  also  the  good  old 
Latimer, — "  A  Prelate  is  that  man,  whatsoever  he  is,  that 
has  a  flock  to  be  taught  by  him  ;  whosoever  has  any  spiritual 
charge  in  the  faithful  congregation,  and  whosoever  he  is  that 


*  See  also  Index  to  Lyndwood  in  Praelatus. 


PRE  379 

lias  a  care  of  souls."  *  As  a  general  rule,  however,  the  term 
applies  only  to  Bishops  ;  and  usage,  from  the  time  of  the  Re- 
formation downwards,  sanctions  this  limitation. 

Presbyter.  The  designation  of  a  minister  of  the  second 
rank  or  order.  The  word  implies  the  same  as  Elder  or 
Priest.  A  Preshyter  having  been  twice  ordained,  is  one  de- 
gree above  a  Deacon,  and  occupies  the  middle  rank  between 
a  Bishop  and  a  Deacon.  Being  invested  with  the  full  powers 
of  an  ordinary  Pastor,  he  may  administer  the  holy  Com- 
munion, and  pronounce  the  absolution  and  benediction,  all 
which  the  Deacons  are  not  qualified  to  perform,  those  exer- 
cises not  appertaining  to  their  office.     See  Bishop. 

Presbyterate.     The  office  and  rank  of  a  Presbyter. 

Prescribed.  That  which  has  been  written  and  appointed 
before  the  time  when  it  is  publicly  delivered  ;  as,  for  example, 
the  Liturgy  and  all  services  and  offices  in  the  Prayer-book. 
See  Liturgy. 

Presentation.  In  the  Church  of  England,  the  act,  on  the 
part  of  the  patron  of  a  Church,  of  offering  and  recommend- 
ing a  Clergyman  to  the  Bishop,  to  be  instituted  rector,  &c., 
of  the  benefice.  Also,  in  the  Episcopal  Church  in  general, 
the  ceremony  prescribed  in  the  Ordinal,  of  bringing  forward 
the  Candidates  for  ordination,  and  committing  them  to  the 
Bishop  for  admission  to  the  ministry.  The  same  term  is 
employed  in  relation  to  persons  brought  by  their  pastor  to 
the  Bishop  to  receive  confirmation. 

Presentation  of  Christ  in  the  Temple.    See  Purification. 

Presiding  Bishop.  According  to  the  usage  of  our  Church, 
the  Bishop  who  has  been  longest  in  the  Episcopal  office,  is 
President  of  the  House  of  Bishops,  and  thus  presides  at 
General  Conventions,  &c.,  besides  discharging  such  other 
duties   as,  for  convenience'   sake,  may  be   allotted  him  by 


*  Sermon,  Of  the  Plough. 


380    '  PRE 

the  Canons  and  customs  of  the  Church.  The  title  or  desig- 
nation of  Senior  Bishop  is  also  applied  to  him,  not  in  respect 
to  his  age,  but  in  reference  to  the  fact  of  his  being  the  oldest 
in  the  order  of  consecration,  while  that  of  Presiding  Bishop, 
rather  refers  to  the  nature  of  his  duties.  See  Senior 
Bishop. 

"  Prevent."  A  word,  which  has  suffered  so  remarkable 
a  change  in  its  usage,  within  the  last  two  hundred  years,  that, 
without  some  explanation,  many  passages  in  the  Bible  and 
Prayer-book  are  scarcely  intelligible. 

What,  for  example,  would  be  thought  of  a  Prayer  begin- 
ning thus  :  "  Prevent  us,  O  Lord,  in  all  our  doings  ?  "  Yet 
this  is  the  opening  of  one  of  the  Collects  at  the  end  of  the 
Communion  Service  in  the  English  Pi-ayer-book, — the  same 
which  has  been  altei^d  in  the  American  editions  to  read, 
"  Direct  us,  O  Lord,  in  all  our  doings,"  &.c. 

The  original  sense  of  the  word,  is  to  go  hefore,^  or  to  an- 
ticipate, assist,  or  help  ;  and  in  this  sense  it  is  generally  used 
in  the  Bible  and  Prayer-book.     The  following  are  examples. 

"  Lord,  we  pray  thee,  that  thy  grace  may  always  prevent 
Siud  follow  us,"— i.  e.,  that  the  favor  of  God  may  always  go 
with  us,  hefore  and  after  every  good  work.  Collect  for  the 
17th  Sunday  after  Trinity. 

"  We  humbly  beseech  thee,  that  as,  by  thy  special  grace, 
preventing  us,  thou  dost  put  into  our  minds  good  desires," 
(fee. — that  is,  God,  by  his  grace  aiding  and  working  in  us, 
causes  holy  thoughts  and  pure  desires  to  arise  in  our  minds. 
Collect  for  Easter. 

"  We  have  no  power  to  do  good  works,  pleasant  and  ac^ 
ceptable  to  God,  without  the  grace  of  God  by  Christ  prevent- 
ing usj  that  we  may  have  a  good  will,"  &c. — i.  e.,  the  grace 
of  God,  moving  and  enabling  us  to  will  those  things  which 
are  good  and  pleasing  to  him.     Article  X. 

*  From  pro),  "before,"  ojid  renio,  "to  go." 


PR I  381 

"  Let  thy  tender  mercies  speedily  prevent  us  ; "  that  is, 
"let  thy  mercy,  anticipating  our  wants,  deliver  us  without 
delay."     Psalm,  Ixxix.  8. 

"In  the  morning  shall  my  prayer  prevent  thee."  The 
Prayer-book  version  is  an  admirable  comment  on  this ; 
"early  shall  my  prayer  come  before  thee."  Psalm,  Ixxxviii. 
13. 

"I  2)revented  the  dawning  of  the  morning,  and  cried  ;  " — 
i.  e.,  "  I  cried  even  before  the  dawning  of  the  morning." 
Psalm,  cxix.  147. 

"We,  which  are  alive  and  remain,  *  *  *  *  *j  shall  not 
prevent  them  which  are  asleep  ;  " — that  is  to  say,  those  Chris- 
tians  who  shall  be  alive  at  the  second  coming  of  Christ,  will 
not  be  glorified  hefore  those  who  are  in  their  graves  ;  but 
after  the  dead  are  raised,  then  those  who  were  alive  "shall 
be  caught  up  together  with  them,  in  the  clouds,  to  meet  the 
Lord  in  the  air."     1  Thes.  iv.  16,  17. 

For  other  examples,  See  Job,  xxx.  27  ;  xli.  11  ;  Psalm, 
xxi.  3  ;  lix.  10 ;  cxix.  148 ;  2  Sam.  xxii.  6.  19  ;  Isaiah,  xxi. 
14  ;  Amos,  ix.  10. 

The  following  passage  from  the  "judicious  Hooker," 
affords  a  happy  instance  of  the  ancient  use  of  the  word  be- 
fore us.  "  Are  we  to  shun  any  requisite  action,  only  because 
we  have  in  the  practice  thereof  been  prevented  by  idolaters  ?" 
that  is,  because  idolaters  have  chanced  to  do  the  same  thing 
hefore  us. 

Again.  "  Those  who  truly  fear  God,  have  a  secret  gui- 
dance  from  a  higher  wisdom  than  what  is  barely  human  ; 
namely,  by  the  Spirit  of  truth  and  wisdom,  that  doth  really 
and  truly,  but  secretly,  prevent  and  direct  them."  Sir 
Matthew  Hale. 

Price  Lectures.  An  annual  course  of  lectures,  delivered 
in  Boston,  endowed  by  Mr.  William  Price,  a  respectable 
book  and  print-seller  of  that  city,  and  a  devoted  Churchman. 


382  PRi 

By  his  last  will  and  testament,  in  1770,  he  bequeathed  an  es- 
tate, in  trust,  for  certain  purposes,  the  principal  of  which  was 
the  support  of  a  course  of  Sermons  to  be  preached  annually, 
in  Lent ;  for  which  purpose,  sixteen  pounds  sterling  were 
every  year  to  be  appropriated.  The  subjects  of  the  several 
lectures,  (eight  in  number,)  the  days  on  which,  and  the  per- 
sons by  whom,  they  were  to  be  preached,  are  specified  in  the 
will  with  great  minuteness ;  and  it  is  directed,  with  charac- 
teristic benevolence,  that,  after  each  lecture,  there  shall  be 
made  a  contribution  for  the  poor,  into  which,  at  each  time, 
five  shillings  sterling  shall  be  put  by  the  church-wardens — 
the  whole  proceeds  to  be  divided,  on  Good  Friday,  between 
the  ministers  and  wardens  of  the  parishes  interested  in  the 
lectures  for  the  use  of  the  poor.* 

Priest.  A  designation  of  the  second  Order  or  grade 
of  the  Christian  ministry,  equivalent  to  Presbyter,  or 
Elder.  The  word  is  formed  by  a  contraction  of  the  Greek 
IlpscflSvrspog,  a  presbyter,  with  an  English  termination.  Some 
diversity  of  opinion  has  prevailed  respecting  the  propriety  of 
this  designation,  similar  to  that  which  has  attended  the  use 
.of  the  words  altar  and  sacrifice  in  the  Christian  Church. 
The  gist  of  the  objection  lies  in  this, — that  there  is  no  such 
office  existing  in  the  Church  as  that  of  an  Ispsvg  or  sacerdos, 
(a  minister  of  sacrifices,)  inasmuch  as  sacrifices  are  abol- 
ished, and  altars  with  them.  It  will  be  granted  that  the 
English  word  "  priest,"  is  the  representative  of  the  two 
Greek  words  Ispsuj  and  npsC/^urspo?,  i.  e.  Sacerdos  and  Pres- 
byter. The  question  then  is,  whether  the  sacerdotal  cha- 
racter really  exists  in  the  Christian  Ministry.  In  the  view 
of  the  Church  of  Rome,  the  affirmative  is  contended  for,  on 
the  ground  that,  in  the  Eucharist,  the  Priest  offers  a  true  pro. 
pltiatory  sacrifice  for  the  sins  of  both  the  living  and  the  dead. 
If  this  were  so,  there  could  no  longer  be  any  dispute  on  the 

*  Banner  of  the  Church,  p.  107. 


PRIEST.  383 

question  ;  but  this  is  positively  denied  by  the  Church  in  her 
31st  Article,  where  it  is  said  that  "  the  Sacrifice  of  Masses, 
in  which  it  was  commonly  said,  that  the  Priest  did  offer 
Christ  for  the  quick  and  the  dead,  to  have  remission  of  pain 
or  guilt,  were  blasphemous  fables,  and  dangerous  deceits." 
This  settles  the  question  so  far  as  regards  the  connection  of 
the  term  with  the  offering  of  a  propitiatory  sacrifice  ;  but  we 
apprehend  that  it  does  nothing  more.  Why  then  is  the  term 
retained  ?  And  why  does  the  Church  talk  of  "  sacerdotal 
functions,"  in  the  Office  of  Institution,  and  elsewhere  ?  Is  this 
a  mere  play  upon  words,  or  an  ecclesiastical  pun  ?  The  reply 
to  this  we  shall  draw  from  the  early  days  of  the  Church, — 
those  days  to  which  our  Reformers  looked  with  deep  and 
solemn  veneration. 

At  a  period  very  ancient,  the  whole  of  divine  worship  was 
distinguished  by  the  title  of  Sacrificium,  or  sacrifice.  This 
name  was  given  to  the  prayers  and  praises,  preaching,  and 
devotion  of  body  and  soul  to  Christ,  in  the  sacraments  of 
baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper.  *  But  more  particularly, 
and  with  greater  dignity,  was  the  term  applied  to  the  conse- 
crated symbols  of  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ,  called  by 
St.  Chrysostom  "the  tremendous  sacrifice."  The  ministers 
officiating  were  also  endowed  with  the  corresponding  title  of 
"  Priests,"  (sacerdotes,)  and  Bishops  had  the  appellation  of 
"Summi  Sacerdotes,"  (chief  priests.)  And  these  names 
were  given,  not  with  relation  solely  to  the  administration  of 
the  Eucharist,  but  to  the  exercise  of  their  prerogative  in  the 
various  acts  of  divine  worship.  "  It  was  one  act  of  the 
priest's  office  to  offer  up  the  sacrifice  of  the  people's  prayers, 
praises,  and  thanksgivings  to  God,  as  their  mouth  and  orator, 
and  to  make  intercession  to  God  for  them.  Another  part  of 
the  office  was  in  God's  name  to  bless  the  people,  particularly 
by  admitting  them  to  the  benefit  and  privilege  of  remission 

♦  Bingham,  IV.  p.  16. 


384  PRi 

of  sins  by  spiritual  regeneration  or  baptism.  Above  this 
was  the  power  of  offering  up  to  God  the  people's  sacrifices 
at  the  altar ;  that  is,  as  Mr.  Mede  and  others  explain  them, 
first  the  eucharistical  oblations  of  bread  and  wine  to  agnize 
or  acknowledge  God  to  be  the  Lord  of  the  creatures ;  then 
the  sacrifice  of  prayer  and  thanksgiving  in  commemoration 
of  Christ's  bloody  sacrifice  upon  the  cross,  mystically  repre- 
sented in  the  creatures  of  bread  and  wine  ;  which  whole 
sacred  action  was  commonly  called  the  Christian's  reason- 
able  and  unbloody  sacrifice,  or  the  sacrifice,  of  the  altar."* 
The  power  of  ministerial  absolution,  and  that  of  benediction, 
were  also  considered  as  sacerdotal  acts,  together  with  that  of 
spiritual  jurisdiction  and  ordination  vested  in  the  Bishops. 
These  facts  and  explanations  go  to  show  that,  in  the  view  of 
the  Church,  "  sacerdotal  functions"  are  not  confined  to  the 
offering  of  bloody  or  expiatory  sacrifices,  and  consequently 
that  a  presbyter  may  be  a  true  priest  or  sacerdos,  without 
involving  the  doctrine  to  which  we  have  alluded  as  held  by 
the  Romanists.  It  is  the  fear  of  this  doctrine  which  has 
created  repugnance  to  the  word  in  question  ;  and  has  led  to 
the  impression  that,  though  authorized  by  the  Church,  there 
is  a  trifle  more  of  Popery  about  it,  than  in  the  kindred  term 
"  Presbyter."  We  believe  that  there  is  no  Popery  in  either, 
inasmuch  as  they  were  in  use  before  Popery  was  born.  The 
one  is  scriptural ;  the  other,  not  contrary  to  Scripture  ;  and 
both  may  be  properly  used,  without  involving  unlawful  and 
heretical  associations. 

Priesthood.  1.  The  office  and  dignity  of  a  Priest  or 
Presbyter.  2.  The  persons  composing  the  order  of  Priests. 
3.  The  Ministry  of  the  Christian  Church.  In  the  latter  sense 
the  term  is  little  used,  though  cases  may  be  adduced  from 
ancient  Canons  and  early  writers,  in  which  Deacons  are  in- 


*  Bingham,  1.  p.  204. 


PRi  385 

eluded  under  the  general  denomination  of  the  priesthood. 
See  Priest. 

Priestly.  Something  appertaining  to,  or  connected  with 
a  Priest ;  thus,  Priestly  robes,  are  the  garments  worn  by  a 
Priest  when  performing  his  sacred  duties.  The  Priestly 
office,  is  that  rank  and  station  which  a  priest  possesses  in  the 
Church  of  God.  Priestly  authority,  is  that  spiritual  power 
which  has  been  committed  to  a  priest.  The  abuse  of  this  is 
frequently  termed  priestcraft. 

Primate.  A  metropolitan  or  archbishop,  having  juris- 
diction over  the  diocesan  bishops  of  a  province.  See  Arch- 
bishop. 

Primitive.  That  which  is  first,  original,  at  the  beginning, 
as  the  primitive  faith,  order,  and  discipline  of  the  Church, 
equivalent  to  apostolical ;  or  those  which  existed  at  the  earliest 
days  of  the  Church. 

Primitive  Church.  The  Church  as  it  existed  in  the  ages 
immediately  after  its  first  establishment.  From  its  near  con- 
nection with  the  Apostles  and  other  inspired  men,  the  prim- 
itive Church  enjoyed  many  advantages,  of  which,  at  later 
periods,  it  was  deprived.  To  the  earliest  ages  we  naturally 
look  for  illustrations  of  obscurities  in  the  New  Testament  ; 
for  evidence  and  testimony  of  matters  of  fact  ;  for  sound  in- 
terpretations of  doctrine  ;  proofs  of  the  efficacy  of  the  gospel, 
and  examples  of  undaunted  Christian  heroism.  Hence  the 
value  we  are  accustomed  to  attach  to  the  writings  which  have 
come  down  to  us  from  the  first  three  centuries  after  Christ ; 
and  this  value  is  considerably  enhanced  by  the  fervor,  the 
beauty,  and  the  surpassing  eloquence  which  adorned  the  Church 
in  that  early  day,  and  in  the  ages  following.  These  were  fa- 
miliarly known  to  the  Reformers  of  the  Church  of  England  ; 
and  having  taken  the  primitive  Church  as  their  model,  and  as 
the  best  witness  of  Catholic  principles  and  usages,  they 
transfused  its  spirit  not  only  into  the  liturgy,  but  into  the 
whole  frame-work  and  superstructure  of  that  venerable  fabric 

33 


386  PRO 

they  aimed  to  restore.  How  well  they  succeeded,  is  eviden- 
ced in  that  fearless  appeal  which  Episcopalians  ever  make, 
first  to  the  Apostolic  Church,  then  to  those  who  drew  their 
principles  from  it  along  with  their  infant  breath,  and  flourish- 
ed and  died  in  an  age  when  inspiration  itself  was  scarcely  ex- 
tinct. That  Church  has  nothing  to  dread,  which  can  lay  its 
standards  on  the  altar  of  antiquity,  and  return  them  to  her 
bosom  signed  with  the  glorious  testimony  of  a  Poly  carp,  an 
Ignatius,  a  Clement,  and  a  "  noble  army  of  martyrs  ;"  nothing 
has  she  to  dread,  but  the  possibility  of  declension,  and  unfaith- 
fulness to  her  sacred  trust. 

Procession.  A  ceremony  of  considerable  antiquity,  con. 
sisting  in  a  formal  march  of  a  train  of  clergy  and  others  du- 
ring  the  performance  of  the  Litany  or  any  other  solemn  ser- 
vice. Public  processions  in  the  streets  are  still  common  in 
the  Romish  and  Oriental  Churches  ;  on  which  occasions  the 
holy,  eucharist,  crosses,  relics,  <fcc.,  are  borne  by  the  ecclesi- 
astics, and  due  reverence  is  demanded  from  all  spectators. 
Processions  of  this  kind  continued  in  the  Church  of  England 
till  the  time  of  the  Reformation,  when  they  were  abolished  ; 
but  an  injunction  was  nevertheless  given  by  Queen  Elizabeth, 
in  1559,  "  that  the  parishioners  shall  once  in  the  year,  at  the 
time  accustomed,  with  the  curate  and  the  substantial  men 
of  the  parish,  wdlke  about  the  parishes,  as  they  were  accus- 
tomed, and  at  their  returne  to  the  Church  make  their  common 
prayers."  The  17th  Homily,  in  the  second  Book,  is  design- 
ed to  be  used  at  these  "Perambulations." 

Procession  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  A  term  expressive  of  the 
Scripture  doctrine  of  the  Holy  Ghost  proceeding  from  the 
Father  and  the  Son.  This  is  expressly  declared  in  John,  xv. 
26.  "  When  the  Comforter  is  come,  whom  I  will  send  unto 
you  from  the  Father,  even  the  Spirit  of  truth  which  proceed- 
eth  from  the  Father,  He  shall  testify  of  me."  This  doctrine 
is  incorporated  into  the  Nicene  Creed,  in  the  words,  "  I  be- 
lieve in  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  Lord  and  Giver  of  life,  who  pro- 


PRO  387 

ceedeth  from  the  Father  and  the  Son."  The  addition  of  the 
words  "  from  the  Son,"  {jilioque)  was  the  occasion  of  a  severe 
contest,  about  the  8th  or  9th  century,  between  the  Greek 
and  Latin  Churches,  which  resulted  in  mutual  charges  of  er- 
ror, and  in  the  determination  of  the  Greek  Church  not  to  ad- 
mit the  expression. 

Profession.  A  solemn  public  declaration  of  "  repentance 
towards  God,  and  faith  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  as  in  the 
Offices  of  Baptism,  which  See. 

Proper  Lessons.  Chapters  or  portions  of  Scripture  dif- 
fering from  those  set  against  the  day  of  the  month  in  the  Cal- 
endar,  and  particularly  appointed  to  be  used  on  certain 
holy-days. 

Proper  Prefaces.     See  Prefaces. 

Proper  Psalms.  On  certain  holy-days,  the  regular 
Psalms  for  the  day  of  the  month  are  omitted,  in  divine  ser- 
vice, being  superseded  by  others  specially  appointed;  and 
which,  being  more  immediately  appropriate  to  the  occasion, 
are  denominated  "  Proper  Psalms."  The  holy-days  for 
which  these  are  appointed,  are  Christmas,  Ash  Wednesday, 
Good  Friday,  Easter,  Ascension,  and  Whitsunday.  The 
Proper  Psalms  for  these  will  be  found  by  consulting  the  Ta- 
ble immediately  following  the  Preface  of  the  Prayer-book. 

Permission  is  also  given  to  the  Minister  to  "  use  any  one 
of  the  Selections,  instead  of  any  one  of  the  above  Portions,'' 
in  which  case  the  "  Venite  exultemus"  is  to  be  omitted,  and 
its  place  supplied  by  anthems  appointed  for  that  purpose. 
These  may  be  found  between  the  Selections  of  Psalms  and 
the  Psalter  in  the  Prayer-book. 

Besides  the  above.  Proper  Psalms  are  also  appointed  to  be 
used  at  the  Consecration  of  a  Church,  and  at  the  Institution 
of  a  Minister,  a  list  of  which  will  be  found  in  the  services 
for  those  occasions. 

"  Property."  That  which  is  owned  or  possessed  by  any 
one.     When  applied  to  the  Divine  Being,  it  refers  to  those 


attributes  or  perfections  which  belong  peculiarly  to  Him, 
Thus,  in  the  Communion  Service,  we  read,  "But thou  art  the 
same  Lord,  whose  property  is  always  to  have  mercy  ;"  that 
is,  "  it  lelongs  to  God,  always  to  exercise  mercy,  and  to  for- 
give." Again,  in  one  of  the  Collects  for  Ash  Wednesday: 
"  Thy  property  is  always  to  have  mercy,"  which  is  of  nearly 
the  same  import  with  the  succeeding  words,  "  to  thee  only  it 
apperiaineth  to  forgive  sins."  Latimer  has  the  following  re- 
mark on  the  words  "  there  were  giants  in  those  days,"  &c. 
"  These  were  giants,  so  called,  from  the  property  of  giants, 
for  they  oppress  the  weak,"  &c.* 

Prothesis.  a  side  table  near  the  altar,  on  which,  in  the 
primitive  Church,  "  the  ^offerings  of  the  people  were  received, 
out  of  which  the  bread  and  wine  was  taken  that  was  conse- 
crated at  the  altar. "j-  Though  the  prothesis  has  for  the  most 
part  been  banished  from  our  Churches,  yet  in  the  Commu- 
nion office  there  is  a  dislinctallusion  to  it,  and  the  rubrics  can- 
not be  fully  met  without  some  provision  of  this  kind.  Imme- 
diately before  the  prayer  for  Christ's  Church  militant,  it  is 
made  the  duty  of  the  Priest,  then  and  there,  to  ^^ place  upon 
the  table  so  much  bread  and  wine  as  he  shall  think  sufficient.*"' 
Consequently  these  were  not  on  the  table  before,  and,  as 
Wheatly  remarks, — "  the  placing  the  elements  upon  the 
I^ord's  table,  before  the  beginning  of  morning  prayer,  by  the 
hands  of  a  clerk  or  sexton,  (as  is  now  the  general  practice,) 
is  a  profane  and  shameful  breach  of  the  aforesaid  rubric." 
With  the  justice  of  tliis  sentiment.  Bishop  White  fully  con- 
curred,  and  (if  we  are  rightly  informed)  always  had  a  small 
side-table  near  the  altar  of  his  Church  in  Philadelphia.  "  In 
the  primitive  Church,  says  the  Bishop,  there  was  a  prothesis 
or  side-table,  for  the  previous  reception  of  the  elements.  The 
priest's  removing  of  them  to  the  Lord's  table  was  considered 
as  an  official  act.     It  is  not  agreeable  to  the  present  writer's 

♦  Sermon  on  Co vetausness.     t  Bingham,  II.  p. .  167. 


PSA  389 

habits  of  thinking,  to  lay  too  much  stress  on  matters  of  order  ; 
but  as  the  provision  now  noticed  was  designed  to  be  an  act  of 
devotion,  although  not  accompanied  by  words,  he  wishes  for 
the  restoration  of  it,  by  the  reducing  of  practice  to  the  exis- 
ting rule."* 

Proto-martyr.  a  title  generally  given  to  St!  Stephen,'as 
the  first  martyr  who  suffered  for  the  sake  of  Christ.  In  the 
Collect  for  St.  Stephen's  day,  allusion  is  made  to  this  fact,  in 
the  words,  that  we  "  may  learn  to  love  and  bless  our  persecu- 
tors, by  the  example  of  thy  first  martyr  Saint  Stephen,  who 
prayed  for  his  murderers,"  &c. 

Province.  In  the  Church  of  England,  the  collective  Dio- 
ceses are  arranged  under  two  general  divisions,  over  each  of 
which  one  of  the  Archbishops  exercises  jurisdiction.  These 
are  denominated  the  Provinces  of  Canterbury  and  of  York. 
See  Archbishop. 

Psalm.  A  sacred  song  or  hymn,  in  praise  of  the  perfec- 
tions of  God,  or  on  any  topic  of  devotion  and  rehgious  expe- 
rience. 

Psalmody.  The  practice  of  singing  psalms,  which  was 
anciently  performed  by  chanting  or  reciting  them  in  a  musi- 
cal tone,  as  still  retained  in  the  cathedrals  of  England,  and 
in  some  other  ancient  churches.  The  term  is  now  usually 
applied  only  to  the  singing  of  psalms  in  metre. 

Psalter.  The  book  of  Psalms.  This  divine  book  has 
in  every  age  of  the  Church  been  regarded  with  the  greatest 
admiration,  and  almost  all  the  ancient  Liturgies  have  drawn 
largely  from  its  rich  and  diversified  abundance  of  material. 
By  Athanasius  it  was  styled  an  epitome  of  the  whole  Scrip- 
tures.  St.  Basil  calls  it  the  summary  of  the  Old  Testament ; 
and  in  later  times,  JVfelancthon  eulogized  it  as  the  most  ele- 
gant writing  i^i  the  world.  It  is  not  surprising  then,  that 
the  Psalms  should   form  so   considerable  a   portion  of  the 


♦  Bishop  White  on  the  Ordination  Offices,  p.  201. 
33* 


390  PSALTER. 

service  of  the  present  Church.  Excepting  the  Lord's  Prayer, 
there  is  no  part  of  Scripture  so  frequently  repeated,  and  none 
which  bears  repetition  with  a  better  welcome  from  every  de- 
votional mind. 

The  division  of  the  Psalms  into  daily  portions,  as  given  in 
our  Prayer-books,  has  been  done  with  a  view  to  convenience. 
Something  like  this  has  long  prevailed  in  the  Church,  but 
without  its  regularity  and  system.  Thus,  in  Egypt,  at  first, 
in  some  places,  they  read  60  psalms  ;  in  others,  &0  ;  and  af- 
terwards they  all  agreed  to  recite  12  only.  Colum.banus,  in 
his  rule,  appointed  the  number  of  psalms  to  vary  according 
to  the  seasons  of  the  year,  and  the  length  of  the  nights  ;  so 
that  sometimes  75  were  sung.  In  the  monasteries  of  Arme- 
nia they  repeat  99  Psalms,  to  the  present  day.  Previously 
to  the  reform  of  our  ofiices,  the  English  Church  prescribed 
12  psalms  for  the  nocturn  ;  but  at  that  period  the  number  was 
reduced  on  an  average  to  three,  by  the  division  of  the  119th, 
and  by  reckoning  some  other  long  psalms  as  each  more  than 
pne.*  Under  the  present  arrangement,  the  Psalms  are  di- 
vided into  60  portions,  two  of  which  are  appointed  for  each 
day  of  the  month.  Selections  are  also  set  forth  by  the 
American  Church,  which  may  be  used  instead  of  the  regularly 
appointed  portions. 

The  custom  of  repeating  the  psalms  alternately,  or  verse 
by  verse,  between  the  Minister  and  the  people,  is  probably 
designed  to  supply  the  place  of  the  ancient  antiphon,  or  the 
responsive  chanting  of  the  psalms  by  two  distinct  choirs. 
This  latter  practice  is  ^tiU  retained  in  the  cathedrals  of  Eng- 
land, and  is  more  primitive  than  the  alternate  reading  now 
prevailing  in  parish  Churches. 

The  Prayer-book  version  of  the  Psalter  differs  from  that 
in  the  common  Bible.  Of  this  we  snail  have  occasion  to  speak 
under  the  head  of  Translation. 


Origines  Liturgicae,  I.  p.  224. 


PUL  391 

Publishing.  To  publish  is,  in  the  common  use  of  the 
word,  to  declare  or  give  notice  in  the  Church,  of  the  Bans  of 
Matrimony,  or  of  any  other  matters  to  be  made  known  to  the 
congregation.  See  Bans  of  Matrimony. 
-  The  appointed  time  for  this,  in  the  Morning  service,  is  im- 
mediately after  the  reading  of  the  Gospel  for  the  day. 

Pulpit.  An  elevated  place  in  a  Church,  from  which  ser- 
mons and  lectures  are  delivered.  This  seems  to  be  the  ap- 
propriate use  of  the  pulpit  in  Episcopal  Churches  ;  and  hav- 
ing prevailed  for  several  ages,  it  has  obtained  the  sanction 
and  general  consent  of  the  Church.  In  the  primitive  ages» 
the  ordinary  custom  was  for  the  preacher  to  stand  on  the 
steps  of  the  altar  while  delivering  his  sermon,  and  the  pulpit 
or  ambon  was  used  as  a  reading  desk,  from  which  ♦he  lessons 
of  Scripture  were  pronounced.  It  was  always  erected  in  the 
body  of  the  Church,  at  some  considerable  distance  from  the 
sanctuary  or  chancel,  and  elevated  by  the  height  of  several 
steps  above  the  general  level. 

In  the  Church  of  England,  the  pulpit  is  generally  used,  a? 
in  the  United  States,  for  the  delivery  of  sermons  ;  yet  the 
rule  is  not  positively  exclusive  of  other  religious  acts,  so  they 
be  of  the  nature  of  addresses  to  the  people.  For  example, 
the  former  part  of  the  Commination  Office  in  the  English 
Prayer-book,  is  ordered  to  be  read  in  the  "  Reading  Pew  or 
Pulpit  ;^^  and  the  Exhortations  to  the  Communion  are  to 
be  read  "  after  the  Sermon  or  Homily  ended,"  which  would 
seem  to  imply  that  they  should  be  read  in  the  pulpit ;  though 
there  is,  we  allow,  some  want  of  consistency  between  this 
"(English)  rubric  and  another  before  the  offertory.  Bidding 
of  prayer  was  also  enjoined  before  all  sermons,  lectures,  and 
homilies,  evidently  from  the  pulpit. 

It  does  not  appear,  however,  that  the  pulpit  was  to  be  used 
as  a  place  of  actual  prayer.  This,  says  Wheatly,  "  has 
been  discountenanced  and  prohibited  almost  in  every  reign, 
since  the  Reformation,  by  our  governors  and  superiors,  both 


S92  PULPIT. 

in  Church  and  State."*  That  a  contrary  practice  has,  not» 
withstanding,  prevailed  in  the  Church,  is  well  known  ;  and 
against  this,  a  decision  of  the  American  General  Convention 
was  a  few  years  ago  directed,  recommending  the  disuse  of 
prayers  in  the  pulpit  lefore  sermon.  The  use  of  collects  in 
the  same  place  after  sermon,  is  still  retained,  more  as  a  mat- 
ter of  convenience,  we  suppose,  than  of  order. 

The  ancient  position  or  place  of  the  pulpit  was  in  the  body 
or  near  the  centre  of  the  Church.  By  late  usage  it  is  sta- 
tioned within  or  near  the  chancel,  sometimes  by  itself,  but 
more  frequently  in  the  immediate  rear  of  the  desk.  The 
probability  is,  that  this  latter  arrangement  was  adopted  to 
secure  a  central  position  for  the  speaker,  where  he  might  be 
both  seen  and  heard  with  convenience  by  the  whole  congre. 
gation.  It  is  also  to  be  remembered,  that  the  present  pew 
system,  which  is  not  of  long  standing,  has  had  something  to 
do  with  the  location  of  the  pulpit.  In  the  old  churches, 
where  the  people  either  stood  en  masse,  or  provided  them- 
selves with  moveable  seats,  (as  in  some  European  Cathedrals 
at  the  present  day,)  it  was  easy  for  them  at  the  beginning  of 
the  sermon,  to  crowd  around  the  pulpit,  and  come  within 
range  of  the  preacher's  voice  ;  but  since  the  introduction  of 
pews,  and  the  consequent  location  of  the  people  in  determi- 
nate places,  it  was  thought  necessary  to  plant  the  pulpit  in 
the  most  favorable  position  for  an  equal  radiation  of  sound 
to  every  part  of  the  Church.  Still  it  is  questionable,  whether, 
in  the  moderate  size  of  our  churches,  there  can  be  pleaded  a 
necessity  of  this  kind,  warranting  the  elevation  of  the  pulpit 
above  the  altar,  or  the  placing  it  in  a  position  where  it  must 
exclude  the  minister  from  view  when  consecrating  the  ele- 
ments in  the  eucharist. 

Some  of  the  older  churches  preserve  an  arrangement, 
copied  also  in  a  few  of  modern  structure,  in  which  the  true 

*  Page  294. 


PUR 


393 


dignity  of  the  altar  is  secured,  by  placing  the  pulpit  and  desk 
in  subordinate  positions  on  either  side.  This  was  the  model 
so  highly  commended  by  Bishop  Heber,  concerning  which  it 
is  stated  in  his  life,  that,  when  he  was  on  a  visit  at  Vepery, 
"  he  was  particularly  struck  with  the  good  taste  which,  by 
placing  the  pulpit  and  reading  desk  on  each  side  of  the  aisle, 
gave  from  every  part  of  the  church  a  full  and  uninterrupted 
view  of  the  recess  of  the  altar,  which  is  well  raised  and  of 
excellent  proportions.  It  is  his  wish,  that  in  every  church, 
the  altar  should  be  the  first  and  chief  object,  and  that  it 
should  be  rather  more  elevated  than  is  usually  the  case.*' 
The  same  plan  had  long  before  been  adopted  by  Herbert,  in 

the  "  re-edification  "  of  his  rural  church  at  Layton  :  " by 

his  order,  the  reading-pew  and  pulpit  were  a  little  distance 
from  each  other,  and  both  of  an  equal  height :  for  he  would 
often  say, — 'They  should  neither  have  a  precedency  nor 
priority  of  the  other ;  but  that  praying  and  preaching,  being 
equally  useful,  might  agree  like  brethren,  and  have  an  equal 
honor  and  estimation.'  "*  In  the  American  Church,  speci- 
mens  of  this  arrangement  may  be  seen  in  St.  Michael's,  and 
the  Church  of  the  Annunciation,  New-York ;  St.  Peter's, 
Albany  ;  and  St.  Peter's,  Salem,  Massachusetts.  The  same 
plan  originally  prevailed  in  St.  Paul's,  Boston,  and  St.  James', 
Roxbury,  Massachusetts;  but  some  alterations  have  since 
been  made. 

"Pure  heart."  In  the  exhortation  at  the  opening  of 
Morning  and  Evening  Prayer,  the  congregation  are  invited 
to  accompany  the  minister  "  with  a  pure  heart  and  humble 
voice,  unto  the  throne  of  the  heavenly  grace."  The  word 
•pure  is  not  to  be  rigidly  interpreted  here,  as  implying  innocence 
and  freedom  from  moral  infirmity  ;  but  that  state  of  mind 
which,  in  the  former  part  of  the  exhortation,  is  spoken  of  as 
"  an  humble,  lowly,  penitent,  and  obedient  heart ;  " — a  heart 


*  Walton's  Lives,  p.  310, 


394  PUR 

also  free  from  dissimulation,  not  wishing  to  "  cloke  "  its  sins, 
but  rather  to  "confess"  them.  See  also  the  Collect  for  the 
18th  Sunday  after  Trinity,  and  that  for  the  Purification  of  the 
Virgin  Mary. 

Purgatory.  A  supposed  place  of  temporary  punishment, 
where  the  souls  of  the  departed  are  purged  by  fire,  previous 
to  their  admittance  to  heaven.  The  pains  of  purgatory  are 
held  to  be  expiatory,  and  are  proportioned  in  degree  and  du- 
ration to  the  demerits  of  the  sutferer.  In  Article  XXII.,  the 
Romish  doctrine  concerning  purgatory,  is  declared  to  be  "  a 
fond  thing  vainly  invented,  and  grounded  upon  no  warranty 
of  Scripture,  but  rather  repugnant  to  the  Word  of  God." 

Purification  of  the  Virgin  Mary.  "  This  holy-day  is  kept 
in  memory  of  the  presentation  of  Christ  in  the  Temple.  It 
was  a  precept  of  the  Mosaic  law,  that  every  first-born  son 
should  be  holy  unto  the  Lord,  to  attend  the  service  of  the 
Temple  or  Tabernacle,  or  else  to  be  redeemed  with  an  offer- 
ing of  money,  or  sacrifice.  The  mother,  also,  was  obliged 
to  separate  herself  forty -days  from  the  congregation,  after  the 
birth  of  a  male,  and  eighty  after  that  of  a  female  ;  and  then 
was  to  present  a  lamb,  if  in  good  circumstances,  or  a  couple 
of  pigeons,  if  she  was  poor.  All  this  was  exactly  performed 
after  the  birth  of  our  Savior,  who  came  to  fulfil  all  right- 
eousness  ;  and  was  willing,  in  all  particulars  of  his  life,  that 
a  just  obedience  should  be  paid  to  the  public  ordinances  of 
religion." 

This  feast  is  of  considerable  antiquity.  St.  Chrysostom 
mentions  it  as  celebrated  at  his  time  in  the  Church. 

"Purify  ourselves."  A  scriptural  expression  incorpo- 
rated into  the  Collect  for  the  6th  Sunday  after  Epiphany. 
We  are  taught  by  St.  John,  that  "  every  man  that  hath  this 
hope  in  him,  jyurifieth  himself,  even  as  he  is  pure."  1  John, 
iii.  3:  "  The  Church  therefore  prays,"  remarks  Dr.  Bennet, 
"  that  we  may  purify  ourselves,  even  as  our  Savior  Christ  is 
pure  ;  that  is,  may  endeavor,  as  far  as  our  frail  nature  will 
allow  us,  to  imitate  his  purity." 


395 


q,. 

Quadragesima.  A  name  formerly  given  to  the  first  Sun- 
day in  Lent,  from  the  fact  of  its  being  forty  days  before 
Easter,  in  round  numbers. 

"  Quick."  Living.  See  the  Apostles'  and  Nicene  Creeds  ; 
"  —  he  shall  come  to  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead."  Also, 
Acts,  X.  42,  and  2  Timothy,  iv.  1.  Bishop  Jewel,  speaking 
of  the  persecutions  of  the  early  Christians,  remarks,  that  they 
were  "  cast  to  wild  beasts,  burned,  and  great  fires  were  made 
of  their  quick  [living]  bodies,  for  the  only  purpose  to  give 
light  by  night,"  &c.* 

QuiNQUAGESiMA,     See  Septuagesima. 


R. 

Ratification.  In  the  Prayer-book,  the  act  of  confirming 
and  sanctioning  something  previously  done  by  another,  as  in 
assuming  the  obligations  of  baptism  at  the  reception  of 
Confirmation. 

Readers.  An  order  of  men  in  the  ancient  Church,  who 
were  permitted  to  assist  in  public  worship,  by  reading  some 
of  the  scriptural  portions  of  the  service.  See  Inferior 
Orders. 

At  the  present  day,  the  title  is  given  to  those  laymen  who 
are  allowed,  in  the  absence  of  a  clergyman,  to  conduct  the 
public  services  of  the  Church.     See  Lay  Reader. 

Reading  pew.     See  Desk. 

"  Real  presence."     A  term  used  to  denote  the  presence 

♦Apology,  p.  11. 


396 


REAL    PRESENCE. 


of  Christ  in  the  Eucharist,  or  Communion  of  his  body  and 
blood.  In  the  Romish  Church,  this  is  declared  to  be,  not 
only  the  presence  of  the  divinity,  but  of  the  actual  human 
body  of  Christ — the  very  body  in  which  he  ascended  into 
heaven.  In  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  while  the 
"  real  presence  "  is  undoubtedly  held,  yet  it  is  considered  as 
of  a  spiritual  and  heavenly  character.  The  Homily  on  the 
Sacrament  expressly  asserts,  "  Thus  much  we  must  be  sure 
to  hold,  that  in  the  supper  of  the  Lord  there  is  no  vain  cere- 
mony, no  bare  sign,  no  untrue  figure  of  a  thing  absent ; — but 
the  Communion  of  the  Body  and  Blood  of  the  Lord  in  a  mar- 
vellous incorporation,  which  by  the  operation  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  is  through  Faith  wrought  in  the  souls  of  the  faithful," 
&;c.  In  the  Office  of  the  Communion,  the  elements  are  re- 
peatedly designated  as  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ  ;  and 
after  their  reception  we  give  thanks,  that  God  "dost  vouch- 
safe  to  feed  us  who  have  duly  received  tliese  holy  Mysteries, 
with  the  spiritual  food  of  the  most  precious  Body  and  Blood 
of  [his]  Son  our  Savior  Jesus  Christ."  The  Catechism,  in 
agreement  with  this,  defines  the  "  inward  part "  of  this  sacra- 
ment to  be  "  The  Body  and  Blood  of  Christ,  which  are  spi- 
ritually* taken  and  received  by  the  faithful  in  the  Lord's 
Supper." 

The  28th  Article  asserts,  respecting  the  Eucharist,  that 
"  to  such  as  rightly,  worthily,  and  with  faith  receive  the  same, 
the  Bread  which  we  break  is  a  partaking  of  the  Body  of 
Christ ;  and  likewise  the  Cup  of  Blessing  is  a  partaking  of 
the  Blood  of  Christ." 

By  maintaining  this  view,  the  Church  supports  the  dignity 
of  this  holy  sacrament,  without  involving  the  dogma  of  tran- 
substantiation,  which  she  every  where  repudiates, — asserting 
that  it  "  cannot  be  proved  by  Holy  Writ,  but  it  is  repugnant 


♦  In  the  English  Prayer-bookj  instead  of"  spiritually,"  we  read  "  verily 
and  indeed." 


REC  397 

to  the  plain'words  of  Scripture,  overthroweth  the  nature  of  a 
Sacrament,  and  hath  given  occasion  to  many  Superstitions." 
Instead  of  this,  i.  e.,  a  corporal  presence  by  the  change  of 
the  elements  into  the  natural  body  and  blood  of  Christ,  she 
goes  on  to  assert  that,  "  The  Body  of  Christ  is  given,  taken, 
and  eaten  in  the  Supper,  only  after  an  heavenly  and  spiritual 
manner.  And  the  mean  whereby  the  Body  of  Christ  is  re- 
ceived and  eaten  in  the  Supper,  is  Faith."  * 

"Reasonable."  See  the  Prayer  in  the  Visitation  of  the 
Sick :  "  O  God,  whose  days  are  without  end,"  &c.  The 
word  occurs  in  the  following  connection  :  "  that  we  may  be 
gathered  unto  our  fathers,  *****  in  the  comfort  of  a 
reasonable,  religious,  and  holy  hope,"  &;c.,  i.  e.  a  hope  justi- 
fied by  sound  reason  acting  on  the  promises  of  God,  combined 
with  a  consciousness  of  true  penitence,  and  faith  in  Christ. 

Rebaptizing.  a  word  employed,  for  want  of  a  better,  to 
denote  the  administration  of  baptism  by  a  lawful  Minister,  to 
those  who  at  some  previous  time  have  been  invalidly  baptized 
by  heretics,  schismatics,  or  laymen. 

"  Receive  the  Holy  Ghost."  This  solemn  form  of  words 
is  used  in  the  act  of  conferring  the  orders  of  Priests  and 
Bishops.  Having  been  originally  used  by  our  Lord  when  he 
commissioned  his  Apostles,  it  has  been  retained  by  the  Church 
as  the  most  proper  and  authoritative  form  in  which  the 
powers  of  the  Christian  priesthood  can  be  conveyed.  That 
the  Church  is  vindicated  in  employing  them  at  the  consecra- 
tion  of  Bishops,  is  manifest  from  the  fact,  that  the  ministerial 
powers  of  the  office  are  identically  the  same  with  those  held 
by  the  Apostles,  and  if  given  at  all,  they  must  proceed  from 
the  same  source, — i.  e.  the  Holy  Ghost.  In  the  ordination 
of  priests,  the  same  principle  will  apply.  These,  under  the 
designation  of  presbyters  or  elders,  also  received  their  au- 


Article  XXVIII. 
34 


398  REG 

thority  from  this  divine  source,  notwithstanding  that  there 
might  be  one  or  more  intermediate  b'nks  in  the  chain  of 
transmission,  "  Take  heed,"  said  St.  Paul  to  the  elders  of 
Ephesus,  "unto  yourselves,  and  to  all  the  flock,  over  the 
which  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  made  you  overseers."  If  there- 
fore, it  be  granted  that  the  Bishop  has  the  power  of  ordain, 
ing,  it  follows  that  he  stands  as  an  agent  between  the 
heavenly  source  of  authority,  and  the  candidate  to  whom 
that  authority  is  to  be  given,  and  is  qualified  to  pronounce, 
"  Receive  the  Holy  Ghost  for  the  office  and  work  of  a  Priest 
[or  Bishop]  in  the  Church  of  God,"  &c. 

Records,  PARISH.  The  books  and  papers  of  a  Church, 
which  contain  a  record  or  account  of  the  history  and  tem- 
poral business  of  the  Parish.  In  these  books  are  written, 
from  time  to  time,  all  such  transactions  as  relate  to  the  elec- 
tion of  officers — the  purchase  or  sale,  &c.  of  Church  property 
—the  erection  of  buildings — the  engaging  of  Ministers — the 
support  of  public  worship,  and  other  matters  connected  with 
the  temporal  affairs  of  the  Church. 

Under  the  name  of  "  parish  records,"  may  also  be  included 
the  Register,  containing  the  Minister's  account  of  baptisms, 
marriages,  &c.     See  Register. 

Rector.  A  clergyman  who  has  the  spiritual  care  and 
charge  of  a  parish,  and  has  been  instituted  according  to  the 
usage  of  the  Church.  The  title  is  also  given  to  the  principal 
or  chief  master  of  a  school  or  seminary  of  learning. 

Regenerate.     See  the  next  article. 

Regeneration.  A  term  used  in  Scripture,  antiquity,  and 
the  standards  of  the  Church,  to  express  that  change  of  state, 
which  takes  place  on  the  reception  of  the  sacramant  of  bap- 
tism. The  general  reader  will  perceive  at  once  a  wide  dif- 
ference between  this  use  of  the  word,  and  that  which  obtains 
in  many  religious  bodies,  whose  numbers  have  given  cur- 
rency to  certain  peculiarities  of  expression.  The  word  re- 
generation occurs  but  twice  in  the  Scriptures.     In  one  case. 


REGENERATION.  399 

(Matt.  xix.  28,)  it  has  no  relation  to  the  present  subject ;  and 
in  the  other  (Titus  iii.  5,)  it  nnanifestly  refers  to  baptism.  By 
the  ancients,  and  to  the  present  day  in  Episcopal  Churches, 
the  scriptural  import  of  the  term  has  been  preserved.  But 
in  many  non-episcopal  denominations,  it  has  been  deprived  of 
its  original  sense,  and  made  to  signify  conversion,  renovation 
of  heart,  or  (according  to  the  Calvinists,)  the  effect  of  a  sud- 
den infusion  of  "  efficacious  grace  "  into  the  soul ;  destroying 
at  once  all  necessary  connection  of  the  term  with  the  sacra- 
ment of  baptism,  to  which  it  was  originally  confined.  This 
unauthorized  wresting  of  a  scriptural  word  on  the  part  of 
others,  has  been  the  occasion  of  a  host  of  prejudices  and 
objections  against  the  Church,  as  if  she  were  the  aggressor ; 
and  so  much  easier  is  it  to  rail  than  to  reason,  that  in  all  prob- 
ability, the  difference  between  regeneration  and  renovation 
%vill  not  be  acknowledged,  till  the  objectors  are  made  sensible 
of  the  trespass  they  have  committed  on  their  mother  tongue. 

By  regeneration  then,  the  Church  means  that  change  of 
splri+ual  state  or  condition  which  invariably  takes  place  in 
lawful  baptism.  God  has  two  kingdoms,  the  natural  and  the 
spiritual — the  kingdom  of  nature,  and  the  kingdom  of  grace. 
The  entrance  into  the  one,  is  by  generation  ;  the  entrance  into 
the  other,  by  regeneration.  We  are  "  born"  into  the  former  ; 
we  are  "  born  again  "  into  the  latter.  In  the  one,  are  the 
appointed  means  for  physical  and  intellectual  growth  ;  in  the 
other,  the  covenanted  provisions  for  moral  and  spiritual  ad- 
vancement. By  birth  we  are  introduced  into  the  world  ;  by 
a  new  birth  we  are  incorporated  into  the  Church.  Here  then 
is  a  great  and  evident  change  of  state,  and  the  appointed 
means  of  effecting  it,  is  the  sacrament  of  baptism — the  "  la- 
yer of  regeneration." 

That  this  is  the  view  of  the  Church,  is  easily  shown.  In 
the  Catechism,  she  speaks  of  the  "  inward  and  spiritual  grace" 
of  baptism,  as  "  a  death  unto  sin,  and  a  new  birth  unto  right, 
eousnfiss :  For  being  by  nature  born  in  sin,  and  the  children 


400      "  REGENERATION. 

of  wrath,  we  are  hereby  made  the  children  of  grace."  At 
the  opening  of  the  baptismal  Offices,  she  intimates  the  nature 
of  this  sacrament,  in  these  words  :  "  Our  Saviour  Christ  saith, 
none  can  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God,  except  he  be  re- 
generate and  born  anew  of  water  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 
She  further  prays,  "  Give  thy  Holy  Spirit  to  this  Infant ;  [or 
Person  ;]  that  he  may  be  born  again,  and  be  made  an  heir  of 
everlasting  salvation,"  &c.  Immediately  after  baptism  her 
language  changes,  and  she  now  declares  that  "this  Child  [or 
Person]  is  regenerate,  and  grafted  into  the  body  of  Christ's 
Church,"  and  requires  that  thanks  be  given  "  unto  Almighty 
God  for  these  benefits  ;"  which  duty  is  performed  in  the 
words,  "  We  yield  thee  hearty  thanks,  most  merciful 
Father,  that  it  hath  pleased  thee  to  regenerate  this  Infant 
[or  Person]  with  thy  Holy  Spirit,  to  receive  him  for  thine 
own  child  by  adoption,  and  to  incorporate  him  into  thy  holy 
Church." 

Now  all  this  may  seem  exceedingly  mysterious  and  here- 
tical to  those,  who  are  familiar  only  with  the  modern  and  un- 
scriptual  sense  of  the  word  regeneration.  Bat  by  adverting 
to  the  definition  we  have  already  given,  every  obscurity  is 
cleared  up  at  once.  The  language  of  the  Church  is  also  in 
exact  correspondence  with  that  of  the  New  Testament 
throughout.  St.  Paul,  especially,  "  intimates  with  clearness," 
remarks  Bishop  Summer,  "  that  the  Christians  he  addresses 
were  thus  regenerate  :  as  having  ^put  off  the  old  man  with 
its  deeds ;'  and  having  become  *  the  temple  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,'  and  *  the  members  of  Christ  ;'  as  having  the  spir- 
itual circumcision,  and  being  hurled  with  Christ  in  hap- 
tism  ;'  as  having  *  received  the  spirit  of  adoption,^  and  as 
*  being  washed,  sanctified,  and  justified,  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  and  by  the  Spirit  of  our  God.'  To  the  Ga- 
latians,  'bewitched,'  as  he  says  they  were,  'that  they 
should  not  obey  the  truth,'  he  still  writes :  *  Ye  are  all 
the  children  of  God  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus.      For  as 


REGENERATION.  401 

many  of  you  as  have  been  baptized  unto  Christ,  have  put  on 
Christ."  * 

But  while  the  Church  maintains  the  above  sense  of  the 
term  regeneration,  is  it  to  be  supposed  that  she  rejects  that 
doctrine  of  Scripture  to  which  modern  divines  and  popular 
usage  have  applied  this  term  1  God  forbid.  Our  reformers 
in  no  case  suppose  that  baptism  will  be  a  sure  guaranty  of 
final  salvation,  without  being  accompanied  or  followed  by  the 
"  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  On  the  contrary,  they  insist, 
both  in  the  baptismal  Offices  and  throughout  the  whole  liturgy, 
upon  the  necessity  of  an  entire  and  radical  change,  both  of 
heart  and  life.  No  Church  in  all  Christendom  proclaims 
this  truth  with  more  firmness  and  clearness,  than  that  which 
we  here  vindicate.  It  is  the  incessant  language  of  her  prayers, 
— the  subject  of  her  thanksgivings, — the  burden  of  her  dis- 
courses,— and  the  aim  and  object  of  all  her  devout  members. 
This  putting  on  of  the  new  man, — this  creation  of  the  soul  in 
righteousness  and  true  holiness, — is  the  theme  of  all  her  pul- 
pits, and  the  grand  characteristic  of  her  services.  Even  in 
the  prayer  which  follows  the  act  of  baptism,  the  doctrine  of 
renovation  as  distinguished  from  regeneration,  is  clearly  an- 
nounced. There  we  pray  that  the  person  now  regenerate, 
"  may  crucify  the  old  man,  and  utterly  abolish  the  whole  body 
of  sin  ;"  proving  that  the  Church  does  not  regard  this  as 
comprised  in  the  fact  of  regeneration  by  baptism.  Futher- 
more,  he  is  to  "continually  mortify  all  his  evil  and  cor- 
rupt affections,  and  daily  proceed  in  all  virtue  and  godliness  of 
living."  If  then,  this  be  the  sense  of  the  Church,  that  regen- 
eration and  renovation  are  not  convertible  terms,  but  of  dis- 
tinct use  and  meaning  ;  and  if  under  the  latter  term,  that  moral 
change  is  understood,  which  the  objector  comprehends  under 
the  former,  we  see  not  how  the  Church  can  be  censured,  un- 
less it  be  for  denying  her  patronage  to  an  abuse  of  words. 


Apostolical  Preaching,  p.  91. 
34* 


402  REH 

She  holds  all  Scripture  truth,  and  this  too  in  Scripture  lan- 
guage. Instead  of  being  scourged  for  this,  should  not  justice 
and  candor  honour  her,  and  impeach  the  accuser  ?  •'  Let  me 
speak  the  truth  before  God,"  said  the  venerable  Simeon. 
•'  Though  I  am  no  Arminian,  I  do  think  that  the  refinements 
of  Calvin  have  done  great  harm  in  the  Church  ;  they  have 
driven  multitudes  from  the  plain  and  popular  way  of  speaking 
used  by  the  inspired  writers,  and  have  made  them  un- 
reasonably and  unscripturally  squeamish  in  their  modes  of 
expression."* 

Register.  A  book  kept  by  the  Minister  of  every  Church 
or  Parish,  in  which  are  recorded  the  names  of  persons  bap- 
tized, confirmed,  married,  or  buried,  with  dates,  places  of  re- 
sidence, &c.  &c.  Some  registers  also  contain  a  list  of  all  the 
families  and  individuals  belonging  to  the  parish,  with  marks 
opposite  each  name,  to  indicate  whether  they  have  been  bap- 
tized, and  confirmed,  and  are  communicants. 

A  complete  Register,  in  recording  a  baptism,  states  the  time 
and  place, — ^the  name  of  the  baptised, — with  the  age ;  also 
the  names  of  the  parents  and  sponsors,  and  of  the  Minister 
officiating. 

In  recording  a  confirmation,  the  date  will  be  given,  with 
the  names  of  the  persons,  and  that  of  the  Bishop,  together 
with  the  place  where  the  confirmation  was  held. 

For  a  marriage^  the  names  and  residences  of  the  parties 
are  usually  given  :  also  the  time  and  place  of  the  marriage, 
and  the  Minister  by  whom  it  Avas  solemnized. 

A  record  of  a  burial  states  the  name  of  the  deceased,  the 
age,  the  family  to  which  he  belonged,  and  the  Minister 
officiating. 

"Rehearse."  To  repeat  or  recite.  In  the  Prayer-book 
it  is  understood  to  imply  distinctness  of  utterance,  in  opposi- 
tion to  a  low  and  hesitating  manner,  as  in  the   Catechism, — 

*  On  the  Excellence  of  the  Liturgy. 


REP  403 

*•  Rehearse  the  Articles  of  thy  Belief;"  and  also  in  the  Visita- 
tion of  the  Sick  and  of  Prisoners  ;  in  which  the  rubrics  direct 
the  Minister  to  "  Rehearse  the  Articles  of  the  Faith,"  or  of 
••  the  Creed."  Sometimes  the  word  simply  implies  saying  or 
reading,  or  a  recapitulation,  as  where  Latimer  remarks  in  a 
sermon,  *'  I  will  therefore  make  an  end,  without  any  rehearsal 
or  recital  of  that  which  is  already  said." 

Religious  Houses.  In  the  Romish  and  other  churches, 
abbeys,  monasteries,  convents,  priories,  nunneries,  &c.,  in 
which  persons  are  associated  together  under  certain  rules,  and 
bound  by  vows  to  lead  a  religious  life.  The  abuses  and  cor- 
ruptions which  were  encouraged  in  these  establishments  in 
England,  prior  to  the  Reformation,  led  to  their  dissolution  in 
the  reign  of  Henry  VHI.     See  Abbey. 

Reliques,  or  Relics.  In  the  Romish  Church,  fragments 
or  remains  of  the  bodies,  garments,  property,  instruments  of 
death,  &c.,  of  martyrs  and  saints,  preserved  in  altars  and  sacred 
places,  and  devoutly  reverenced  as  invested  with  peculiar  sanc- 
tity. Against  this  practice,  amounting  in  some  cases  to  re- 
ligious homage,  the  22d  Article  is  levelled,  in  which  the  adora- 
tion of  "reliques"  is  said  to  be  "a  fond  [foolish]  thing,  vainly 
invented,  and  grounded  upon  no  warranty  of  Scripture,"  &c. 

Renovation.  For  some  remarks  on  the  use  of  this  word 
by  the  Church,  See  the  latter  part  of  the  article  Regenera- 
tion. 

Repetitions.  An  objection  has  sometimes  been  made  to 
the  Liturgy  of  the  Church,  as  involving  vain  repetitions  and 
an  useless  prolixity.  It  should  be  recollected,  however,  that 
a  repetition  is  one  thing,  but  a  vaiii  repetitio7i  quite  another. 
For  examples  of  the  latter,  we  refer  the  reader  to  the  Phari- 
sees and  the  Mohammedans  ;  for  a  specimen  of  the  former,  to 
the  136th  Psalm,  and  the  angelic  song,  "Holy,  holy,  holy, 
Lord  God  Almighty,"  &c.  The  repetitions  in  the  Liturgy 
are  principally  in  the  cry  "have  mercy  upon  us,"  and  in  the 
use  of  the  Lord's  Prayer  twice,  or  at  the  most  thrice,  in  our 


404  RES 

longest  services,  and  in  the  responses  in  the  Litany  and  the 
decalogue.  Now  whether  prayer  be  defeated  by  importunity, 
and  importunity  by  the  reiteration  of  its  plaint  in  the  same 
precise  words,  let  Scripture  and  good  sense  decide.  Our 
Blessed  Savior  prayed  thrice  in  Gethsemane,  "saying  the  same, 
words,^^  Matt.  xxvi.  44,  an  example  which  the  objector,  of 
course,  would  not  imitate.  The  petitions  Avhich  we  address 
to  heaven,  must,  for  the  most  part,  have  the  same  general  drift. 
What  advantage,  then,  is  there  in  arranging  them  in  a  per- 
petually changing  dress  ?  Will  they  be  better  received  for 
the  sake  of  their  novelty  %  Or  is  it  a  crime  to  prefer  the  Re- 
deemer's words  to  our  own  ?  We  had  supposed  that,  at  God's 
throne,  fervenc}'^  of  spirit  would  be  more  regarded  than  variety 
of  language  ;  and  such  a  spirit  will  generally  find  its  expres- 
sion, (as  in  cases  of  temporal  sorrow,)  in  short  and  broken  sen- 
tences, oft  repeated,  and  with  little  fear  of  their  being  rejected 
as  vain  repetitions.  Our  reformers,  God  be  thanked,  knew 
well  what  was  the  language  of  a  broken  heart.  Had  it  been 
otherwise,  the  Prayer-book  might  indeed  have  been  a  text-book 
in  rhetoric,  and  nothing  more  ;  but  as  it  is,  by  transfusing  into 
it  the  pious  aspirations  of  all  antiquity,  they  have  made  it  not 
only  a  model  of  devotion,  but  also  a  standard  of  literary 
elegance. 

"RiiSERVED."  In  the  28th  Article  it  is  declared,  that 
"  The  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper  was  not  by  Christ's 
Ordinance  reserved,  carried  about,"  &c.  This  is  aimed 
against  a  common  practice  in  the  Romish  Church,  of  keeping 
or  reserving  "  part  of  the  consecrated  bread,  for  the  purpose 
of  giving  it  to  the  sick,  or  other  absent  persons,  at  some 
future  time."* 

Residence.     See  Canonical  residence. 

Responds.  A  word  which  should  not  be  confounded  with 
responses.     It  was  used  in  the  ancient  Church  to  denote  cer- 

*  Bishop  Tomline. 


RES  405 

tain  short  hymns  or  anthems,  which  it  was  customary  to  in- 
troduce  into  the  middle  or  in  the  progress  of  the  reading  of 
chapters  of  Scripture,  the  reading  being  for  the  time  suspen- 
ded. These  were  denominated  "  Short  Responds."  The 
••  Long  Respond,"  was  that  which  was  sung  at  the  close  of 
the  Lessons. 

Response.  In  the  Church  service,  an  answer  made  by 
the  people,  speaking  alternately  with  the  Minister.  The  use 
of  responses  |is  not  to  be  viewed  as  a  mere  incidental  peculi- 
arity of  liturgical  services,  but  rather  as  a  fundam.ental  char- 
acteristic of  divine  worship.  Responses  were  not  made  for  lit- 
urgies, but  liturgies  for  responses.  Many  of  the  Psalms  are 
constructed  on  the  responsive  model,  because  this  was  a  prior 
trait  of  the  worship  of  the  sanctuary ;  and  it  is  an  error  to 
suppose  that  responses  were  introduced  because  these  Psalms 
happened  to  be  in  alternate  verses.  God's  worship  is  an  act 
in  which  both  minister  and  people  are  concerned.  This 
worship  the  Church  requires  to  be  both  mental  and  vocal, 
and  has  ordered  her  ritual  accordingly, — not  degrading  the 
priest  to  a  proxy,  nor  the  congregation  to  an  audience,  but 
providing  for  supplications  and  thanksgivings,  which,  like 
herself,  shall  be  strong  because  united.  It  should  be  deemed 
a  high  privilege  by  the  Churchman,  that  he  is  permitted  to 
lift  up  his  voice  in  prayer,  as  well  as  in  praise,  "  in  the  con- 
gregation of  the  saints ;" — that  he  may  openly  profess  his 
confidence  in  the  Father  of  all,  and  his  trust  in  the  "  Lamb 
of  God,  who  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world  ;"  that  he  may 
join  aloud  in  the  "  solemn  Litany,"  and  cry  for  grace  whereby 
he  may  keep  God's  holy  law  for  the  time  to  come.  In  ages 
past,  the  privilege  was  prized.  Men  were  not  ashamed  in 
primitive  days,  to  confess  Christ  before  the  world,  and,  as  it 
were,  to  rend  the  heavens  with  their  fervent  appeals.  Nei- 
ther was  it  by  an  ecclesiastical  fiction,  but  in  solemn  reality, 
that  they  sung,  "  Therefore  with  angels  and  archangels,  and 
with  all  the  company  of  heaven,  we  laud  and  magnify  thy 


406  REV 

GLORIOUS  NAME."  May  the  time  come  when  such  devotion 
shall  again  adorn  the  "  spacious  courts  "  of  Zion  ;  when  the 
vague  murmur  of  confession,  and  the  languid  tones  of  peni- 
tence, the  silent  Creed,  and  the  smothered  prayer,  shall  give 
place  to  the  earnest  and  nervous  expression  of  spiritual  con- 
cern,  and  the  animating  testimony  of  devout  gratitude  ! 

Reverend,  or,  by  abbreviation,  Rev.  A  title  generally 
given  to  all  classes  of  Ministers,  though  more  strictly  only  to 
Presbyters  and  Deacons. 

"  Reverend  estimation."  The  Preface  to  the  Ordinal 
asserts,  that  the  offices  of  Bishop,  Priest,  and  Deacon,  "  were 
evermore  had  in  such  reverend  estimation,  that  no  man  might 
presume  to  execute  any  of  them,  except  he  were  *  *  * 
admitted  thereunto  by  the  lawful  authority."  This  follows 
after  a  plain  declaration  that  those  three  Orders  of  the  Min- 
istry are  found  in  Scripture,  and  were  continued  in  the  Church 
of  subsequent  ages.  The  Ministry -claims  this  sacred  regard, 
or  "  reverend  estimation,"  not  only  in  respect  of  the  high  and 
heavenly  purposes  for  which  it  was  instituted,  and  the  solem- 
nity attaching  to  all  its  duties  :  but  (in  the  present  reference) 
especially  on  account  of  the  source  from  which  its  powers 
are  derived.  The  Ordinal  unquestionably  states  this  to  be 
divine  or  inspired  authority.  These  "  Orders  of  Ministers 
in  Christ's  Church,"  have  been  "  from  the  Apostles'  time," 
and  in  "holy  Scripture"  they  are  "evident  unto  all  men;" 
that  is  to  say,  to  all  men  candidly  and  "  diligently  reading  " 
the  Scripture.  It  is  also  declared,  that  "  divers  Orders  of 
Ministers "  were  appointed  in  the  Church  by  "  Almighty 
God ;"  to  which  might  be  added  many  other  explicit  state- 
ments  of  the  hurch.  It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  therefore, 
that  the  Christian  Friethood  should,  more  than  once,  be 
called  a  "high  dignity,"  *  and  still  more  frequently  by  other 

*  "  Ye  have  heard  *  *  *  of  what  high  dignity,  and  of  how  great 
importance  this  office  is."  "  We  exhort  you  in  the  name  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  that  ye  have  in  remembrance,  into  how  high  a  dignity,  and 


RiN  407 

terms  implying  a  recognition  of  its  lofty  original.  In  this 
there  is  nothing  approaching  to  arrogance,  assumption,  or 
superstition  ;  but  on  the  contrary,  only  that  reasonable  and 
moderate  claim  to  veneration,  which  arises  from  the  very 
nature  of  the  thing,  and  without  which,  the  proper  and  legit- 
imate influence  of  the  Ministry  must  be  circumscribed,  if  not 
altogether  subverted  and  destroyed. 

Right  Reverend,  or,  abbreviated,  Rt.  Rev.  The  title 
prefixed  to  the  name  of  a  Bishop.  It  is  never  applied  to  the 
inferior  orders  of  the  Ministry. 

Ring,  in  Matrimony.  Immediately  after  the  mutual  pro- 
mises or  stipulations  in  the  Office  of  Matrimony,  the  very 
ancient  ceremony  occurs,  of  placing  a  ring  on  the  finger  of 
the  woman.  The  object  of  this  is  stated  in  the  prayer  fol- 
lowing, to  be  "a  token  and  pledge"  of  the  vow  and  cove- 
nant just  made  by  the  parties.  Ritualists  have  supposed  that 
the  ring  was  also  a  pledge  or  earnest  of  that  honorable  main- 
tenance and  participation  in  "  worldly  goods,"  which  are  pro- 
mised in  that  part  of  the  Office  where  the  ceremony  takes 
place.  It  has  also  been  considered  as  a  sign  or  seal  of  the 
admittance  of  the  wife  to  "  the  nearest  friendship  and  highest 
trust'*  which  it  was  in  the  husband's  power  to  give.  It  is 
probable  that  there  is  weight  in  all  these  opinions,  though  the 
former  seems  to  be  the  prominent  one  in  the  view  of  the 
Church. 

A  multitude  of  analogies  and  figurative  applications  have 
sprung  from  the  ceremony  of  the  ring,  some  of  which  are 
thus  stated  by  Dean  Comber  and  Wheatly.  "  The  matter  of 
which  this  ring  is  made,  is  gold,  to  signify  how  noble  and 
durable  our  affection  is  :  the  form  is  round,  to  imply  that  our 
respect  shall  never  have  an  end  :  the  place  of  it  is  on  the 


to  how  weighty  an  office  and  charge  ye  are  called."  " to  show  your- 
selves dutiful  and  thankful  unto  that  Lord  who  hath  placed  you  in  so  high 
a  dignity."     Exhortation  in  the  "  Ordering  of  Priests.'' 


409  RiT 

fourth  finger  of  the  left  hand,  where  the  ancients[^thought  was 
a  vein  which  came  directly  from  the  heart,  and  where  it  may 
be  always  in  view  :  and  being  a  finger  least  used,  where  it 
may  be  least  subject  to  be  worn  out.  But  the  main  end  is  to 
be  a  visible  and  lasting  token  and  remembrance  of  this  cove- 
nant, which  must  never  be  forgotten  ;  and  if  in  ordinary  bar- 
gains we  have  some  lasting  thing  delivered  as  an  earnest  or 
pledge  and  memorial,  much  more  is  it  needful  here  :  and  to 
scruple  a  thing  so  prudent  and  well  designed,  so  anciently 
and  universally  used,  does  not  deserve  our  serious  con- 
futation." 

"  Riper  years."  In  one  of  the  Offices  for  Baptism,  this 
phrase  is  used  to  designate  those  who  are  beyond  the  age  of 
children,  and  "  ahle  to  answer  for  themselves. ^^  This  defini- 
tion is  not  only  that  given  by  the  Church,  but  is  implied  in  the 
words  themselves,  which  embrace  both  adults,  and  those  in 
age  between  them  and  children.* 

For  the  time  and  occasion  on  which  this  Office  of  Baptism 
was  introduced.  See  Anabaptist. 

In  the  Ordinal  we  have  a  few  cases  in  which  this  and  kin. 
dred  terms  are  used.  As  in  the  Exhortation  in  the  Order- 
ing of  Priests — thus,  "  that  by  daily  reading  and  weighing 
the  Scriptures,  ye  may  wax  riper  and  stronger  in  your  min- 
istry,"—^i.  e.,  may  become  more  perfect,  mature,  and  expe- 
rienced in  divine  wisdom  and  the  qualifications  of  the  minis- 
terial office.  As  the  result  of  this,  the  Bishop  urges  upon  the 
Candidate,  that  he  should  never  cease  his  labor  till  he  has 
brought  his  flock  "  to  that  ripeness  and  perfectness  of  age  in 
Christ,  that  there  be  no  place  left  among  [them]  either  for 
error  in  religion,  or  for  viciousness  in  life." 

Rite.     A  solemn  external  form  or  ceremony  of  religion. 

Ritual,  a.  Relating  to  the  rites  and  ceremonies  of  divine 
service,  as  in  the  phrase  "  ritxial  observances." 

♦  Unripe,  riper,  ripe. 


ROG  409 

Ritual,  n.  A  book  or  manual  in  which  is  given  the  order 
and  forms  to  be  observed  in  the  celebration  of  divine  service, 
the  administration  of  the  sacraments,  and,  in  general,  all 
matters  connected  with  external  order  in  the  performance  of 
sacred  offices. 

Robes.  In  general,  the  ecclesiastical  garments  worn  by 
the  Clergy  when  performing  the  offices  of  the  Church.  More 
strictly,  the  black  gown,  and  the  dress  worn  by  a  Bishop. 
See  Clerical  Garments. 

Rochet.  A  linen  garment  worn  by  Bishops  under  the 
robe  to  which  the  lawn  sleeves  are  attached.  At  the  Conse- 
oration  of  a  Bishop,  the  rubric  appoints  that  the  Bishop  elect 
shall  be  presented,  "  vested  with  his  Rochet ;"  the  rest  of  the 
Episcopal  Habit,  or  robes,  not  being  put  on  till  a  future  part 
of  the  service. 

Rogation  days.  So  called  from  "rogare,'^  to  beseech. 
They  are  the  three  days  immediately  before  the  festival  of 
Ascension. 

These  Litanic  or  Rogation  days  were  first  instituted  by 
Mamertus,  Bishop  of  Vienna,  in  the  fifth  century.  Mamer- 
tus  was  not  the  originator  of  litanical  supplications,  but  he 
was  the  institutor  of  the  Rogation  fast,  and  the  first  who  ap- 
plied the  use  of  Litanies  to  the  Rogation  days.  The  chant- 
ing of  litanies  on  these  days,  accompanied  with  public  pro- 
cessions, continued  till  the  era  of  the  B>eformation.  In  the 
Episcopal  Church  it  has  been  thought  fit  to  continue  the  ob- 
servance of  these  days  as  private  fasts.  There  is  no  office, 
or  order  of  prayer,  or  even  single  Collect  appointed  for  the 
Rogation  days  in  the  Prayer-book  ;  but  amoig  the  homilies 
recommended  by  our  General  Convention,  there  is  one  de- 
signed for  the  improvement  of  these  days.  The  requisitions 
of  the  Church  are  "  abstinence,"  and  "  extraordinary  acts 
and  exercises  of  devotion." 

Rogation  Sunday.  The  Sunday  before  the  festival  of  the 
Ascension.     Its  name  has  reference  to  the  three  days  imme- 

35 


4l0  RUB 

diately  following,  which  are  called  Rogation  days.     See  the 
above  article. 

"  Rose  again."  See  the  Nicene  Creed.  *  The  word 
«  again  "  is  here  used,  not  in  the  sense  of  repetition,  or  doing 
an  act  a  second  time,  but  in  agreement  with  popular  usage 
and  the  practice  of  the  best  English  writers  from  the  16th 
century  downwards.  Whatever  may  be  said  about  the  re- 
dundancy of  the  word,  a  good  ear  will  never  fail  to  observe 
a  stronger  meaning  in  the  phrase,  "  he  was  buried,  and  the 
third  day  he  rose  again,^^  than  in  the  form,  "  the  third  day  he 
rose  from  the  dead."  The  "  again  "  refers  to  a  previous  act 
not  always  of  the  same  kind,  as  in  the  words,  "  he  shall  come 
again,  with  glory,  to  judge  both  the  quick  and  the  dead," — 
that  is,  he  shall  return  for  this  purpose, — not  that  he  has 
already  done  this  act,  hereafter  to  be  repeated.  So  with  the 
scriptural  phrase,  "  he  shall  rise  again,^^  from  which  the 
Church  derives  authority  for  the  use  of  the  word.  Here  the 
reference  is  to  the  preceding  circumstance  of  his  interment ; 
— he  shall  be  buried ;  but  again,  or  after  this,  he  shall  rise 
from  the  dead. 

Rubrical.     According  to  the  Rubric. 

Rubrics.  The  directions  scattered  through  the  Prayer- 
book  relative  to  the  manner  in  which  the  various  parts  of  the 
Liturgy  should  be  performed. 

These  rules  or  directions  about  the  service  are  called  Ru- 
Irics,  from  the  Latin  word  ruber,  meaning  red,  because  in 
ancient  times  it  was  the  custom  to  print  them  in  red  ink,  so 
that  they  might  easily  be  distinguished  from  the  service  itself, 
which  was  printed  in  black  ink,  and  with  a  different  kind  of 
type  or  letter. 

The  name  of  Rubric  has  still  been  retained  in  our  Prayer. 
books,  though  the  use  of  red  ink  has  been  mostly  laid  aside. 


*  Also,  the  Apostles'  Creed  in  the  English  Prayer-book. 


SAB  411 

An  edition  has  recently  been  issued  by  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Press,  New-York,  in  which  the  Rubrics  appear  in  their 
original  color. 


S.  An  abbreviation  for  "Saint."  S.  S.  The  pluralj 
"Saints," 

Sabaoth.  See  the  Te  Deum,  verse  5  : — "  Holy,  holy,  holy. 
Lord  God  of  Sabaoth." 

The  word  Sabaoth,  though  a  Hebrew  expression,  is  re- 
tained  in  our  Liturgy.  "This  term,"  it  is  remarked  by  Her- 
vey,  "some  people,  I  am  inclined  to  believe,  inadvertently 
confound  with  Sabbath,  The  latter  signilfies  the  Mest  of  the 
seventh  day  ;  and,  in  this  connection,  yields  a  sense  not  very 
apposite,  and  comparatively  mean.  Whereas  the  former 
[Sabaoth]  denotes  Armies  or  Hosts,  and  furnishes  us  with  an 
image,  truly  grand  and  majestic,  worthy  to  be  admitted  into 
the  songs  of  Seraphs.  It  glorifies  God,  as  the  great,  univer. 
sal,  uncontrollable  Sovereign  ;  who  exercises  a  supreme  do. 
minion  over  all  the  orders  of  being,  from  the  loftiest  Arch- 
angel that  shines  in  heaven,  to  the  lowest  reptile  that  crawls 
in  dust.  Who  says  to  a  legion  of  Cherubs,  Go,  and  they  go  : 
to  a  swarm  of  insects,  Come,  and  they  come  :  to  any,  to 
every  creature,  do  this,  and  they  do  it." 

Sabbath.  Properly  the  seventh  day  of  the  week,  or  Sa- 
turday,  but  by  modern  usage  applied  to  the  Lord's  day,  with 
the  addition  of  the  epithet  "  Christian."  For  several  ages 
after  the  Apostles,  the  Sabbalh  was  regularly  observed  in  the 
Eastern  Church  as  a  festival,  and  services  were  held  as  on 
the  Lord's  day.  In  the  Western  Church  it  was  usually  ob- 
served as  a  fast,  though  in  this  there  was  some  variation. 


412  SAC 

The  keeping  of  this  day  was  probably  designed,  in  the  first 
instance,  as  an  innocent  concession  to  the  prejudices  of  the 
Jewish  converts  ;  but  as  a  matter  of  obligation,  it  does  not 
appear  to  have  been  recognized  as  equal  to  the  Lord's  day. 
Even  respecting  the  converted  Jews,  Ignatius  remarks,  that 
"  they  who  were  brought  up  in  these  ancient  laws,  [the  Jew- 
ish,] have  come  to  the  newness  of  hope,  no  longer  observing 
sabbaths,  but  keeping  the  Lord's  day." 

Sacrament.  An  outward  act,  sign,  or  ceremony,  instituted 
by  Christ  himself,  as  a  vehicle  of  spiritual  grace.  The  25th 
Article  defines  sacraments  to  be  "  not  only  badges  or  tokens 
of  Christian  men's  Profession  ;  but  rather  they  be  certain 
sure  witnesses,  and  effectual  signs  of  grace,  and  God's  good 
will  towards  us,  by  the  which  he  doth  work  invisibly  in  us, 
and  doth  not  only  quicken,  but  also  strengthen  and  confirm 
our  faith  in  him." 

The  Episcopal  Church  acknowledges  two  Sacraments  as 
ordained  by  our  Lord,  viz., — Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per. In  each  of  these  are  two  essential  parts, — the  element 
and  the  word  of  institution.  The  element  in  baptism  is  water. 
In  the  Lord's  Supper,  the  elements  are  bread  and  wine.  In 
the  first,  the  words  aj-e  those  which  affirm  the  baptism  to  be 
"  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost."  In  the  last,  they  are  comprised  in  the  forms  set 
forth  by  the  Church,,  and  drawn  from  the  original  institution 
of  the  sacrament. 

In  the  Church  of  Rome,  Confirmation,  Penance,  Orders, 
Matrimony,  and  Exlr-eme  Unction,  are  also  accounted  sacra- 
ments. And,  admitting  the  definition  of  a  sacrament,  as  used 
by  that  Church,  together  with  the  latitude  in  which  the  term 
was  sometimes  used  by  ancient  writers,  they  only  err  in  fix- 
ing the  number  at  seven,  when  the  same  authorities  might 
include  at  the  least  a  dozen  more.  *'  Tertullian,"  remarks 
Bishop  Jewell,  "  calleth  the  helve,  wherewith  Elisha  recov- 
ered  the  axe  out  of  the  water,  the  '  sacrament  of  wood ;'  and 


SAY  418 

the  whole  state  of  the  Christian  faith  he  calleth  *  the  sacra- 
ment of  the  Christian  religion.'  St.  Augustine,  in  many 
places,  hath  'the  sacrament  of  the  cross.'  Thus  he  saith, 
*  in  this  figure,  or  form  of  the  cross,  there  is  contained  a  sa- 
crament.'  St.  Jerome  saith,  '  out  of  Christ's  side  the  sacra- 
ments  of  baptism  and  martyrdom  are  poured  forth  both  to- 
gether.' Leo  calleth  the  promise  of  virginity,  a  sacrament, 
St.  Hilary,  in  sundry  places,  saith, — 'The  sacrament  of 
prayer, — o^ fasting, — oHhe  Scriptures, — of  weeping,— o^  thirst^ 
St.  Bernard  calleth  the  washing  of  the  Apostles'  feet  a  sacra- 
ment."  But  yet  these  same  writers  made  an  evident  dis- 
tinction between  the  two  divinely  appointed  sacraments  of 
the  Church,  and  those  ordinary  things  to  which,  by  a  figure, 
they  extended  the  term.  This  will  sufficiently  vindicate  the 
Church  in  her  assertion  that  Confirmation,  Penance,  &c. 
<*  are  not  to  be  counted  for  Sacraments  of  the  Gospel,"  inas- 
much as  they  have  come  to  be  so  esteemed  only  through 
"  the  corrupt  following  of  the  Apostles,"  some  of  them  being 
merely  states  of  life  allowed  by  the  Scriptures,"  but  not  of 
"like  nature  of  Sacraments.''     See  "Corrupt  following." 

Sacramentary.  In  the  Romish  Church,  a  book  contain- 
ing the  Collects,  together  with  the  Canon,  i.  e.,  that  part  of  the 
Communion  office  which  was  invariable,  whatever  changes 
might  occur  in  the  other  portions  of  the  service. 

Sacrifice.     See  Priest. 

Sacrilege.  The  act  of  violating  or  subjecting  sacred 
things  to  profanation  ;  or  the  desecration  of  objects  conse- 
crated to  God.  Thus,  the  robbing  of  churches  or  of  graves* 
the  abuse  of  sacred  vessels  and  altars  by  employing  them 
for  unhallowed  purposes,  the  plundering  and  misappropriation 
of  alms  and  donations,  &c.,  are  acts  of  sacrilege,  which  in  the 
ancient  Church  were  punished  with  great  severity. 

Saints'  DAYS.     See  Holy  days. 

"Say."  The  frequent  occurrence  of  this  word  in  the  ru- 
brics of  the  Prayer-book,  has  not  unfrequently  been  made  use 

35* 


414  scH 

of  as  the  basis  of  an  objection  against  the  spirituality  of  our 
worship.  "  Then  shall  the  Minister  say  ;" — •'  The  following 
shall  be  mid  or  sung;" — "  Here  the  People  shall  say ;" — and 
many  similar  directions,  are  found  in  every  part  of  the  Lit- 
urgy. But  surely,  an  ingenuous  mind  will  not  hence  con- 
elude,  that,  for  this  reason,  our  prayers  and  praises  may  satisfy 
the  requirements  of  the  Church,  though  offered  without  strong 
devotional  feeling.  In  a  prescribed  form,  some  such  phrases 
must  be  used ;  but  in  all  such  cases  it  is  with  the  full  under- 
standing that  our  confessions  of  sin,  our  prayers  for  divine 
mercy,  and  our  praises  for  God's  unnumbered  acts  of  goodness, 
shall  be  accompanied  with  that  disposition  of  mind  which  will 
render  them  acceptable  with  God.  Hence,  in  an  early  part  of 
the  service,  the  Minister  invites  the  people  to  accompany  him, 
"with  a  'pure  heart  and  humble  voice,  unto  the  throne  of  the 
heavenly  grace."  And  in  every  part  of  the  service,  the 
Church  expects,  nay,  even  requires  us  to  appear  before  God 
with  that  deep  contrition  of  soul  which  becomes  the  penitent, 
and  that  holy  joy  which  should  characterize  the  children  of 
God. 

Any  objection,  therefore,  m.ade  to  the  Prayer-book  on  this 
account,  will  equally  lie  against  the  Holy  Scriptures.  Our 
Lord,  in  teaching  his  disciples,  said, — "  when  ye  pray,  say. 
Our  Father,"  &c.  And  it  is  recorded  of  the  poor  publican 
that  "he  smote  upon  his  breast,  saying,  God  be  merciful  to  me 
a  sinner."  In  these,  and  a  thousand  other  cases,  the  pre- 
sence of  strong  devotion  of  spirit  is  implied  ;  and  a  clearer 
testimony  of  the  views  of  the  Church  need  not  be  offered 
than  in  her  own  prayer,  "  give  us  that  due  sense  of  all  thy 
mercies,  that  our  hearts  may  be  unfeignedly  thankful,  and  that 
we  may  show  forth  thy  praise,  not  only  with  our  lips,  but  in 
our  lives,''^  &c. 

Scarf.     See  Clerical  garments. 

Schism.  A  rent  or  breach  of  unity  in  the  Church,  repro- 
bated in  Scripture  as  a  sin  of  great  magnitude. 


SCHISM.  415 

The  Church  as  originally  established  was  unquestionably 
one  body,  and  only  one ;  and  is  so  described  in  every  part  of 
the  Ne\v  Testament.  There  was  "one  Lord,  one  Faith,  one 
Baptism  ;" — all  were  to  "  speak  the  same  thing,"  and  to  be 
"  perfectly  joined  together,  in  the  same  mind,  and  in  the  same 
judgment."  i  Cor.  i.  9,  10.  There  were,  consequently,  to 
be  "no  divisions"  among  the  brethren, — "no  schism"  was  to 
be  seen  in  the  body;  but  all  were  to  "  have  the  same  care  one 
for  another."  1  Cor.  xii.  25.  See  Unity.  It  seems,  however, 
that  in  the  Church  of  Corinth,  during  the  Apostle  s  absence,  a 
disposition  the  reverse  of  this  was  shown  ;  and  an  attempt 
made  to  get  up  religious  denominations,  not  exactly  resembling 
those  of  the  present  day,  for  each  party  sought  to  rally  around 
an  Apostle  or  lawful  ecclesiastic,  instead  of  separating  alto- 
gether from  the  Church,  and  erecting  a  new  ministry  ;  and 
yet,  even  under  these  palliating  circumstances,  the  Apostle  re- 
bukes them  sharply,  inquiring, — "  Is  Christ  divided  ? — was 
Paul  crucified  for  you  ? — or  were  ye  baptized  in  the  name  of 
Paul?"  "Why,  then,"  we  might  suppose  him  to  add,  "are 
ye  already  daring  to  rend  that  sacred  body  of  which  ye  are 
members,  the  health  of  which  is  in  its  unity  ;  and,  taking  pat- 
tern from  the  sects  of  heathen  philosophers  and  their  opposing 
schools,  are  contending  that  ye  are  of  Paul,  or  of  Apollos,  or 
of  Cephas,  while  but  one  faithful  band  adhere  to  Christ? 
Truly,  ye  are  yet  following  those  carnal  affections  from 
which  I  trusted  that  the  Spirit  of  Christ  had  delivered  you. 
For  whereas  there  is  among  you  envying,  and  strife,  and  di- 
visions, are  ye  not  carnal,  and  walk  as  men  ?  For  while  one 
saith,  I  am  of  Paul ;  and  another  of  Apollos ;  do  ye  not  walk 
as  heathen  men  rather  than  Christian  converts  ?  What  will 
ye?  shall  I  come  unto  you  with  a  rod,  or  in  love,  and  in  the 
spirit  of  meekness  ?"  After  this,  the  Apostle  proceeds,  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  Epistle,  (1  Cor.,)  to  lay  down  the  constitution 
of  the  Church  in  terms  so  strong,  and  so  demonstrative  of  its 


416  SCHISM. 

oneness  or  unity,  that  all  apology  even  for  their  imperfect 
schism  is  destroyed  at  once,  while  the  Apostle's  principles  ap- 
ply a  fortiori  to  future  dissensions  of  a  more  absolute  form. 

But  this  was  not  the  only  case  in  which  the  Apostle  Paul, 
under  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  declared  himself  on  the 
subjects  of  unity  and  schism.  The  Corinthian  Church  was 
not  alone  in  its  tendency  to  insubordination,  for  the  craft  and 
subtilty  both  of  men  and  of  worse  beings  were  to  be  apprehen- 
<3ed  and  guarded  against  in  every  portion  of  the  Church. 
Schism,  like  inflammation,  is  a  disease  incident  to  all  climates. 
The  Apostles  foresaw  this,  and  accordingly  threw  into  their 
epistles  both  preventives  and  antidotes.  With  them,  unity  was 
all-essential,  not  only  for  the  outward  peace  of  the  Church, 
but  for  its  spiritual  health:  and  more  than  all,  it  was  deman- 
ded by  the  sovereign  authority  of  God  himself  In  writing, 
therefore,  to  the  Romans,  Paul  says  :  "  I  beseech  you,  brethren, 
mark  them  which  cause  divisions  and  offences  contrary  to  the 
doctrine  which  ye  have  received:  and  avoid  them.  For  they 
that  are  such,  serve  not  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  but  their  own 
belly :  and  by  good  words  and  fair  speeches,  deceive  the  hearts 
of  the  simple."  (xvi.  17,  18.)  He  exhorts  the  Ephesians  to 
"beep  the  unity  of  the  spirit,  in  the  bond  of  peace.  For  there 
is  one  body  (one  Church)  and  one  spirit."  They  were  not  to 
be  "  tossed  to  and  fro,  and  carried  about  with  every  wind  of 
doctrine,  by  the  sleight  of  men,  and  cunning  craftiness,  where- 
by they  lie  in  wait  to  deceive;"  but  to  come  "  in  the  unity  of 
the  faiths  and  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God,  unto  a  per- 
fect man,  (a  Church  perfect  in  all  its  parts,  and  undivided,) 
unto  the  measure  of  the  stature  of  the  fulness  of  Christ." 
With  precisely  the  same  views,  and  in  much  more  vehement 
language,  we  find  St.  Peter,  St.  John,  and  St.  Jude,  warning 
the  Christian  Churches  against  the  intrusion  of  schism  and  its 
teachers.  And  in  the  instructions  to  the  Clergy,  as  in  the 
Epistles  to  Timothy  and  Titus,  the  preservation  of  unity  is  re- 


SCHISM.  417 

peatedly  insisted  on,  it  being  charged  on  some  who  needed  the 
admonition,  that  they  should  teach  '*  no  other  doctrine"  than 
that  originally  delivered. 

Such  was  the  horror  with  which  the  Apostles  looked  upon 
schism  in  the  Lord's  body — the  Church.  And  their  inspired 
pens  sufficiently  reveal  to  us  the  mind  of  God  respecting  the 
same  grievous  offence.  We  might  here  advert,  if  we  had 
room,  to  those  cases  in  the  Old  Testament,  which  illustrate 
the  dealings  of  the  Almighty  with  those  who  wantonly  trifled 
with  the  unity  of  his  Church.  The  signal  punishment  of 
Korah  and  his  company  for  this  crime,  will  be  recollected  by 
the  reader ;  and  the  example  there  given,  in  the  stern  indig- 
nation of  God  against  spiritual  rebellion,  is  one  which  has  a 
moral  for  later  times.  The  present  disordered  and  disunited 
state  of  the  Christian  world,  is  an  anomaly  in  the  history  of 
revelation,  over  which  an  impartial  reader  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment can  do  little  but  weep  and  tremble.  While  the  names 
of  heresy  and  schism  are  cast  into  the  shade,  the  reality  of 
both  has  afflicted  the  Church  with  evils  too  obstinate  and  in- 
veterate to  be  easily  removed.  Schism  is  now  accounted  no 
crime,  but  next  of  kin  to  a  virtue  ;  and  the  formation  of  a  new 
religions  sect,  falsely  called  a  Church,  is  a  thing  of  every  day 
occurrence,  though  branded  with  criminality  by  the  highest 
inspired  authority.  We  will  not  ask  for  the  legal  power  by 
which  this  is  done,  but  would  solemnly  and  in  the  fear  of  God 
inquire — Whence  does  any  man  professing  Christianity  de- 
rive the  right  of  separating  from  Christ's  holy,  catholic,  and 
apostolic  Church,  or  of  remaining  in  a  state  of  disunion 
with  it  ?  Sure  we  are  that  the  liberty  wherewith  Christ  has 
made  us  free,  never  proceeded  to  this  length;  for  that  liberty 
acknowledges  a  law,  without  which  true  liberty  cannot  exist ; 
and  by  that  law — the  law  of  the  gospel,  separation  from 
Christ's  Church  is  denounced  as  a  flagrant  crime.  When 
Luther,  Calvin,  and  others,  sowed  the  first  seeds  of  the  la- 
mentable schisms  now  existing,  it  is  matter  of  fact  that  their 


418  SCHISM. 

hatred  of  Romanism  drove  them  into  measures,  which,  under 
the  color  also  of  a  fancied  necessity,  led  them  to  found  reli- 
gious societies  really  external  to  the  Church,  because  destitute 
of  that  .succession  of  ministerial  authority,  without  which 
there  can  be  no  Church.  But,  granting  the  existence  of  such 
a  necessity,  the  schism  ought  to  have  been  healed  at  the  ear- 
liest opportunity  ;  and  such  an  opportunity  should  have  been 
eagerly  sought.  Was  this  done  ?  No  ;  but  instead  of  it — 
instead  of  these  parties  uniting  themselves  with  the  legally 
constituted  branches  of  the  Church  in  their  vicinity,  they  as- 
sumed  an  independent  attitude,  and  gave  birth  to  other  or- 
ganizations, which,  by  the  lapse  of  time,  learned  to  contemn 
the  very  Churches  in  which  the  purity  of  the  gospel  and  the 
rightful  ministerial  authority  had  been  preserved  at  the  Ref- 
ormation. The  Continental  reformers  had  not  the  gift  of 
prophecy,  nor  could  they  foresee  whereunto  their  measures 
might  grow.  Had  it  been  otherwise,  we  have  charity  enough 
to  believe,  that  sooner  than  proceed,  they  would  have  given 
their  bodies  to  be  burned,  or  prayed  that  their  tongues  might 
cleave  to  the  roof  of  their  mouths.  This  is  not  saying  too 
much.  Little  did  those  men  think  that  the  societies  they 
turned  loose  upon  the  world,  would  in  250  years  become  the 
hotbeds  of  heresy  and  the  strongholds  of  Rationalism.  Little 
did  they  think  that  they  were  paving  the  way  for  the  preach- 
ing of  a  scarcely  disguised  infidelity,  in  their  very  pulpits, 
and  over  their  very  bibles.  Such  are  the  natural  results 
of  schism  :  having  no  conservative  principles,  its  faith, 
however  pure  at  the  first,  invariably  deteriorates,  and  pro- 
ceeds step  by  step  along  the  descent  of  error,  till  it  finally 
settles  in  the  depths  of  avowed  heresy.  We  need  not  cross 
the  Atlantic  to  see  the  process  in  full  operation.  On  the  very 
shores  where  the  pilgrim  fathers  set  up  their  rigid  orthodoxy, 
and  sought  to  enforce  it  even  by  temporal  penalties  and  pun- 
ishments, as  well  as  by  a  determined  carrying  of  it  out  in  theip 
pastoral  instructions,  we  see  erected  the  t^tandard  of  Unitari- 


SCEISM.  419 

anism — we  find  a  thorough  annihilation  of  Puritan  doctrine 
in  the  great  nnass  of  the  public  niind — we  hear  the  divinity  of 
the  Savior  contemned — and  in  the  highest  seats  of  theology, 
the  folly  of  transcendentalisna  publicly  avowed  and  defended. 
It  will  be  perceived  that  what  wo  have  here  written  has  had 
relation  to  schism  as  a  separation  from  the  Church  Catholic, 
but  with  more  immediate  allusion  to  it  as  a  breach  of  unity 
with  our  own  branch  of  that  Church.  At  this  point  comes  in 
the  objection  of  the  Romanist,  that  in  declaiming  against 
schism,  we  are  self-condemned,  having  ourselves  committed 
that  crime  by  departing  from  communion  with  Rome  at  the 
period  of  the  Reformation.  In  reply  to  this,  we  have  a  fact 
to  state,  and  a  question  to  ask.  It  is  undeniable,  that  before 
Britain  knew  any  connection  with  the  Church  of  Rome,  she 
had  already  the  Christian  relisfion,  with  the  apostolic  ministry 
in  full  exercise  ;  and  it  is  contended  by  many,  with  no  trifling 
force,  that  the  gospel  was  first  planted  there  by  St.  Paul  him- 
self. Not  to  insist  on  this,  the  fact  is  clear  that  the  Church 
was  in  existence  in  England  before  the  mission  of  Austin,  or 
the  time  when  the  Romish  power  was  introduced.  This  be- 
ing the  case,  we  inquire  whether  the  mission  of  Austin  and 
his  forty  monks,  and  their  interference  with  the  existing  eccle- 
siastical jurisdiction,  was  not  on  their  part  an  act  of  schism — 
a  trespass  on  the  order,  discipline,  and  prerogatives  of  a 
Church,  to  meddle  with  which  they  had  no  shadow  of  right, 
under  the  circumstances  of  the  case  ?  What  if  the  matter  had 
been  reversed,  and  a  British  mission  had  been  intruded  into 
the  diocese  of  Rome  ?  This  would  have  been  a  parallel  case  ; 
but  its  condemnation  as  an  act  of  schism,  would  have  been 
instant  and  certain.  We  are  willing,  nay  desirous,  to  give 
all  credit  to  the  pious  motives  of  Gregory  and  his  missiona- 
ries ;  but  when  it  is  considered  that  Austin  invaded  an  eccle- 
siastical territory  having  at  least  seven  lawful  Bishops, — that 
these  Bishops  had  heretofore  been  independent,  acknowledg- 
ing no  foreign  sviperior, — that  they  explicitly  made  known  to 


420  SCH 

Austin,  that  "  they  owed  no  other  obedience  to  the  Pope  of 
Rome,  than  they  did  to  every  godly  Christian,"  &c.,  and 
that  "  they  were  under  the  government  of  the  Bishop  of 
Caer-Leon  upon  Uske,  who  was  their  overseer  under  God ;" 
— when  we  learn  that  this  independence  had  been  maintained 
for  600  years  before,  and  that  it  was  only  broken  up  by  force, 
and  long  continued  contests, — we  say,  considering  these 
things,  the  introduction  of  Romanism  into  England  was 
manifestly  a  schismatical  intrusion,  from  which  the  British 
Church  had  a  legal  right  to  relieve  itself  so  soon  as  a  fit  op- 
portunity  offered.  By  pursuing  the  history  of  the  English 
Church,  it  will  be  seen  that  she  always  regarded  the  power  of 
the  popes  as  an  usurpation  on  her  rights,  and  century  after 
century  did  she  struggle  to  shake  off  the  manacles  which 
bound  her.  At  the  Reformation  this  was  effectually  accom- 
plished  ;  and  after  a  bondage  of  900  years,  the  original  inde- 
pendence of  the  Church  of  England  was  restored.  Where 
then  lay  the  charge  of  schism  ?  On  the  British  Church,  or  on 
a  foreign  power  which  trampled  on  her  jurisdiction,  till  by  the 
Providence  of  God,  she  was  strengthened  to  expel  it,  and 
assert  her  lawful  rights  ? 

Schismatic.     One  who  voluntarily  separates  himself  from 
the  Church,  or  is  attached  to  a  schismatical  sect  or  party. 

"School-authors,"  or  School-men.  A  designation  of 
a  race  of  writers  who,  between  the  tenth  and  fifteenth  cen- 
turies, pursued  the  study  of  theology  in  a  mode  peculiar  to 
themselves,  by  the  employment  of  academical  disputations, 
and  abstruse  reasonings,  rather  than  by  following  the  course 
already  laid  down  in  the  works  of  the  Fathers.  The  system 
thus  pursued  obtained  the  name  of  scholastic  divinity,  or  the 
theology  of  the  schools.  Whatever  may  be  thought  of  the 
dogmas  maintained  by  the  school-men,  and  the  conclusions 
at  which  they  arrived  on  the  most  remote  and  hazardous 
questions,  it  will  nevertheless  be  granted  that  their  patience, 
acuteness,  and  indefatigable  industry,  will  ever  remain  "a 


SKL  421 

mighty  monument  of  the  utmost  which  the  mind  of  man  can 
accomplish  in  the  field  of  abstraction."  Among  the  School- 
authors  are  numbered  Thomas  Aquinas,  Duns  Scotus,  Du- 
randus,  &;c.  A  reference  to  one  of  their  opinions  is  made  in 
Article  XIII. 

Scriptures,  Reading  of.     See  Lessons. 

Sect.  A  religious  party,  generally  composed  of  those 
who  refuse  communion  with  the  Church,  and  are  therefore 
either  heretical  in  their  doctrine,  or  schismatical  in  their  ec 
clesiastical  relations,  or  guilty  of  both  these  crimes  in  union. 

Sectarian.  Pertaining  to  a  sect,  as  ^^  sectarian  opin- 
10715, "--the  opinions  maintained  by  those  attached  to  a  sect  ;— 
*^  sectarian  spirit,''  that  temper  of  mind  which  instead  of  be. 
ing  catholic,  expansive,  and  benevolent,  is  limited  to  the  sus- 
tainin^  of  the  peculiar  views  of  the  party  to  which  it  is 
pledged. 

Secular  Clergy.  In  the  Romish  Church,  those  who  are 
not  connected  with  a  monastery  or  other  religious  house. 
These  latter  are  denominated  "regular," — in  contradistinc- 
tion to  "secular."     See  Clergy. 

See.  a  Bishop's  See  is  his  Diocese,  or  that  portion  of 
the  Church  over  which  he  has  the  spiritual  jurisdiction  and 
oversight.     See  Bishop,  and  Diocese. 

Selections.  The  Psalter  or  book  of  Psalms,  as  it  stands  in 
the  Prayer-book,  is  divided  into  sixty  portions,  agreeing  with 
the  average  number  of  mornings  and  evenings  in  the  month  ; 
and  at  each  regular  service,  that  portion  is  usually  read,  which 
corresponds  with  the  day  of  the  month.  But  there  are  also, 
for  the  sake  of  variety,  &c.,  ten  Selections  of  Psalms,  any  one 
of  which  may  be  used  instead  of  the  regular  Psalms  of  the 
day.  These  Selections  are  prefixed  to  the  Psalter,  each  of 
them  consisting  of  one  or  more  Psalms,  chiefly  on  the  same 
subject,  with  some  slight  variation. 

The  1st  Selection,  is  on  the  Majesty  and  Greatness  of  God, 
and  his  tender  compassion  to  the  children  of  men. 

36 


422  SEN 

II.  On  God  as  an  all-seeing  Judge,  knowing  whereof  we  are 
made,  reading  our  secret  thoughts,  and,  by  His  Providence, 
ruling  all  things  with  goodness  and  mercy. 

III.  On  Penitence  and  trust  in  God. 

IV.  The  contrast  between  the  wicked  and  the  good. 

V.  The  blessedness  of  the  righteous. 

VI.  The  Lord,  a  Refuge  to  the  godly. 

VII.  The  testimony  of  the  Saints  to  the  faithfulness  and 
tender  love  of  God. 

VIII.  The  happiness  and  joy  of  those  who  wait  upon  the 
Lord,  and  attend  his  courts. 

IX.  God,  infinite  in  goodness,  and  worthy  of  all  praise. 

X.  Invitation  to  all  created  beings  to  unite  in  praising  God. 
Seminary,  Theological.      An  Institution  for  the  education 

of  Candidates  for  the  sacred  ministry.  Of  these  there  are 
four  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  of  the  United  States, 
viz.,  the  General  Theological  Seminary,  located  at  New-York, 
together  with  those  of  Virginia,  Ohio,  and  Kentucky.  Efforts 
are  also  making  for  their  establishment  in  several  other 
Dioceses,  to  create  facilities  for  the  education  of  native 
clergy,  habituated  to  climate,  and  familiar  with  the  habits 
and  customs  of  those  among  whom  their  future  ministrations 
will  be  exercised. 

Senior  Bishop.  In  the  American  Church,  the  Bishop  who 
is  oldest  in  the  order  of  consecration.  The  Senior  Bishop 
is  President  of  the  House  of  Bishops,  and  has  certain  duties 
committed  to  him  by  the  General  Constitution  and  Canons  of 
the  Church.  The  consecration  of  Bishops  is  usually  per- 
formed by  the  Senior  Bishop,  except  in  case  of  infirmity,  &c. 
He  is  also  to  receive  the  testimonials  of  a  Bishop  elect,  in 
case  of  such  election  taking  place  during  the  recess  of  the 
General  Convention,  and  to  transmit  them  to  all  ihe  other 
Bishops  for  their  consent  or  dissent.  Special  General 
Conventions  are  called  by  the  summons  of  the  Senior  Bishop, 
on  consent  of  a  majority  of  all  the  Bishops ;  and  the  place 
of  meeting  of  any  General  Convention  may  be  changed  by 


SEN  423 

the  Senior  Bishop,  "  in  case  there  shall  be  an  epidemic  dis- 
ease,  or  any  other  good  cause,  to  render  it  necessary." 

In  the  early  Conventions  of  the  Church,  even  when  the 
Bishops  were  few  in  number,  there  was  found  the  necessity 
of  the  presidency  of  one,  as  a  matter  of  order  and  conve- 
nience in  the  transaction  of  business.  But  at  that  period, 
such  was  the  fear  of  Episcopal  ascendency,  that  in  the  Con- 
vention of  1785,  a  proposal  to  that  effect,  though  prospective 
only,  was  rejected.  The  prejudice,  however,  was  removed 
in  the  following  year.  At  the  Convention  of  1789,  at  which 
time  there  was  a  constitutional  number  of  Bishops,  the  appre- 
hended discussions  on  the  subject  of  precedency,  were  hap- 
pily  averted  by  Bishop  White's  influence  in  placing  the 
matter  on  the  ground  of  seniority  in  the  order  of  consecra- 
tion. Bishop  Scabury  thus  became  President  of  the  House. 
But  at  the  next  Convention,  in  1792,  a  different  principle  was 
adopted,  and  continued  for  some  time  in  operation,  viz.,  that 
of  giving  the  presidency  by  rotation,  beginning  with  the 
north.  This  scheme  was  finally  given  up,  and  the  order  of  se- 
niority established  as  determining  the  question  of  presidency. 

Seniority.  In  the  Episcopate  of  the  Church  in  the  United 
States,  this  term  is  not  used  in  reference  to  the  actual  age  of 
a  Bishop,  but  to  the  fact  of  his  being  the  oldest  of  those  liv- 
ing, in  the  order  of  consecration. 

Sentences.  The  verses  of  Scripture  which  stand  at  the 
beginning  of  Morning  and  Evening  Prayer.  Before  the 
Prayer-book  was  completed,  the  Liturgy  began  with  the 
Lord's  Prayer,  at  the  place  where  it  now  appears.  But  after 
a  time,  this  beginning  was  thought  to  be  too  sudden  and 
abrupt,  inasmuch  as  it  gave  the  people  no  opportunity  before, 
to  confess  their  sins  to  God,  and  hear  the  assurances  of  his 
mercy  to  the  penitent.  In  consequence  of  this,  at  a  review 
of  the  Liturgy,  these  sentences  or  verses  of  Scripture,*  (with 

*  The  first  three  excepted,  which  have  since  been  added  in  the  Amer- 
ican Prayer-book. 


424  SENTENCES. 

the  Exhortation,  Confession,  and  Absolution, )\vere  appointed 
to  be  read  at  the  beginning  of  the  service,  the  Minister  having 
liberty  to  use  any  one  or  more  of  them,  as  he  might  judge  most 
proper.  They  are  carefully  and  judiciously  selected  from 
God's  word,  with  the  view  "  to  bring  the  souls  of  the  congre- 
gation to  a  spiritual  frame,  and  to  prepare  them  for  the  great 
duty  they  are  just  entering  upon."  *  We  are  reminded  that, 
"  The  Lord  is  in  his  holy  Temple,"  or  in  the  place  where  we 
have  assembled  for  his  worship  ;  and  that,  before  so  holy  and 
awful  a  Being,  it  becomes  us  and  "all  the  earth"  to  "keep 
silence."  Next,  we  learn  that  God's  praise  shall  go  up,  and 
his  name  shall  be  great,  "from  the  rising  of  the  sun,  even 
unto  the  going  down  of  the  same ;"  that  is,  in  every  nation, 
and  among  all  people.  And  that  the  worship  we  render  may 
be  pure  and  holy,  the  next  sentence  we  may  turn  into  a  peti- 
tion, and  say,  "  Let  the  words  of  my  mouth,  and  the  medita- 
tion of  my  heart,  be  always  acceptable  in  thy  sight,  O  Lord, 
my  strength  and  my  Redeemer."  Again  :  for  the  instruc- 
tion and  encouragement  of  the  feeble-minded,  the  Sentences 
which  follow  these  are  full  of  consolation,  mercy,  and  love, 
declaring  that  God  is  "  gracious  and  merciful,  slow  to  anger, 
and  of  great  kindness ;"  and  that  the  sacrifice  he  loves  is 
that  of  "a  broken  and  a  contrite  heart."  But  if  Ave  have 
true  sorrow  for  our  offences,  we  shall  humbly  confess:  them 
to  our  Heavenly  Father  ;  and  therefore  we  are  further  re- 
minded that,  "if  we  confess  our  sins,  God  is  faithful  and  just 
to  forgive  us  our  sins."  And  this  we  are  admonished  to  do 
like  the  poor  prodigal  son,  who,  when  about  to  return  to  his 
father's  house,  said,  "  I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  father,  and 
will  say  unto  him,  Father,  I  have  sinned  against  heaven 
and  before  thee,  and  am  no  more  worthy  to  be  called  thy 
son." 

This,  then,  is  the  purpose  and  use  of  these  Sentences  with 

♦  Wheatly. 


SEV  425 

which  we  enter  upon  the  solemn  services  of  the  Church  ;  and 
although  not  read  throughout  on  any  one  occasion,  yet  should 
be  felt  by  every  devout  worshipper.  As  we  cannot  come 
before  God  acceptably  without  feeling  our  own  unworthiness, 
and  His  great  love  to  all  who  seek  him  aright,  the  Church 
does  well  always  to  keep  in  our  minds  these  important  truths, 
in  order  that  our  prayers  may  be  heard,  and  our  souls  re- 
freshed by  thus  waiting  upon  God.  In  the  form  appointed 
for  Thanksgiving  day,  there  arc  other  appropriate  Sentences 
provided  to  be  used  with  some  of  the  above. 

Septuaqesima.  The  Sunday  which  in  round  numbers  is 
70  days  before  Easter.     Hence  the  name. 

"  There  being  exactly  50  days  between  the  Sunday  next 
before  Lent  and  Easter-day,  inclusive,  that  Sunday  is  termed 
Quinquagesima,  i.  e.,  the  50th.  And  the  two  immediately  pre- 
ceding are  called  from  the  next  round  numbers,  Sexagesima 
and  Septuagesima,  60th  and  70th.  The  Church  thus  early 
begins  to  look  forward  to  Easter,  the  queen  of  festivals. 
She  would  call  back  our  minds  from  the  rejoicing  season  of 
Christmas,  and,  by  reflections  on  the  humiliating  necessity 
there  was  for  Messiah's  advent,  prepare  us  for  that  solemn 
season  in  Lent,  in  which,  if  with  deep  contrition  and  lively 
faith  we  follow  Christ  in  his  sufferings,  we  may  rejoice  with 
him  here,  and  humbly  hope  to  reign  with  him  hereafter  in 
his  glory, ^^ 

The  observation  of  these  days  and  the  weeks  following, 
appears  to  be  as  ancient  as  the  time  of  Gregory  the  Great. 
Some  of  the  more  devout  Christians  observed  the  whole  time 
from  the  first  of  these  Sundays  to  Easter,  as  a  season  of 
humiliation  and  fasting ;  though  the  ordinary  custom  was  to 
commence  fasting  on  Ash  Wednesday. 

Seraphic  hymn.     See  Trisagion. 

Sermon.     See  Preaching. 

"Seven-fold  gifts."  The  gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit;  so 
called  from  their  enumeration  in  Isaiah  xi.  1 — 6.     There  is 

36* 


426  SEV 

an  allusion  to  these  in  the  Hymn  «  Veni,  Creator  Spiritus," 
in  the  Ordinal,  thus  : — 

Come,  Holy  Ghost,  our  souls  inspire, 
And  lighten  with  celestial  fire  : 
Thou  the  anointing  Spirit  art, 
Who  dost  thy  seven-fold  gifts  impart. 

In  a  Prayer  of  the  Order  of  Confirmation,  these  gifts  are 
specified  as  follows  :  " daily  increase  in  them  thy  mani- 
fold gifts  of  grace  ;  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and  understanding, 
the  spirit  of  counsel  and  ghostly  strength,  the  spirit  of  know^ 
ledge  and  true  godliness;  and  fill  them,  O  Lord,  with  the 
spirit  of  thy  holy  year." 

"Severally."  Individually,  not  collectively.  In  the 
Office  for  the  Baptism  of  those  of  riper  years,  the  questions 
proposed  by  the  Minister  to  the  Candidates,  are  to  be  con^ 
sidered  as  addressed  to  them  severally,  and  the  answers  to  be 
made  accordingly.  By  this  Rubric,  every  Candidate  is  to 
view  himself  a^  isolated  and  alone, — to  receive  the  questions 
as  addressed  to  him  personally,  and,  without  regard  to  any 
one  else,  to  make  the  appropriate  answer.  But  this  does  not 
require,  on  the  part  of  the  Minister,  a  distinct  proposing  of 
the  questions  to  every  individual.  This  will  be  evident  from 
a  comparison  of  the  rubric  with  that  of  the  English  Prayer- 
book.  In  the  latter  it  is,  "  Then  shall  the  Priest  demand  of 
each  of  the  persons  to  be  baptized,  severally,  these  questions 
following."  Here  a  separate  repetition  of  them  to  each  per- 
son is  demanded.  In  the  American  rubric,  the  words  "  each 
of,"  are  omitted,  and  the  questions  once  read,  are  to  be  "  con- 
sidered as  addressed  to  them  severally,"  &c.,  intimating  that 
they  are  not  so,  in  point  of  fact. 

In  the  Order  of  Confirmation  there  is  a  rubric  somewhat 
analogous.  The  Candidates  "kneeling  before  the  Bishop, 
he  shall  lay  his  hands  upon  the  head  of  every  one  severally, 
saying,"  &c.     In  this  there  is  a  double  intention.     1st.  To 


SHH  427 

secure  to  this  ordinance  the  proper  and  actual  "  laying  on  of 
hands,"  in  opposition  to  the  Romish  practice  of  substituting 
for  it  a  gentle  blow  on  the  cheek ;  for,  most  clearly,  whatever 
variations  any  branch  of  the  Church  may  make  in  the  devo- 
tional and  hortatory  parts  of  the  office,  the  imposition  of  hands 
is  not  only  obligatory,  but  constitutes  the  very  characteristic 
of  the  rite.  2d.  That  the  blessing  herein  conveyed  may  be 
unequivocally  given  to  every  individual  candidate.  And  as 
the  laying  on  of  hands  "  has  always  been  used  to  determine 
the  blessings  pronounced  to  those  particular  persons  on  whom 
the  hands  are  laid,"  *  so,  in  this  ordinance,  the  Bishop,  by  a 
separate  act,  confers  on  each  one  the  blessing,  and  is  justified 

in  using  the  words  of  the  succeeding  prayer, "  these  thy 

servants,  upon  whom  *  *  *  we  have  now  laid  our  hands," 

Sexagesima.     See  Septuagesima. 

"  Sharpness  of  death."  In  the  Te  Deum.  The  pains 
and  agonies  suffered  by  the  Redeemer  on  the  cross,  but  which 
he  overcame  at  his  resurrection,  God  having  raised  him  up, 
"having  loosed  the  pains  of  death  :  because  it  was  not  possi- 
ble that  he  should  be  holden  of  it."f 

"  Shine."  In  the  4th  verse  of  the  97th  Psalm,  in  the  Prayer- 
book,  this  word  occurs  in  a  form  of  expression  now  some- 
what antiquated.  "  His  lightnings  gave  shine  unto  the  world,'* 
i.  e.,  "  his  lightnings  shone  with  great  brightness  upon  the 
world  ;"  or  "  made  the  earth  to  shine." 

Shrive.  To  confess  sin.  The  word  is  now  obsolete,  but 
was  formerly  used  for  confession  to  a  priest,  though  not 
always  so  restricted.  From  this  word  is  derived  the  name  of 
Shrove-tide,  (the  time  immediately  before  Lent,)  and  Shrove- 
Tuesday,  times  of  general  confession  in  the  Romish  Church. 

"Another  crime  against  Richard  Collins  was,  he  taught 
that  in  all  such  things  wherein  he  offended  God,  he  should 


Wheatlj.  t  Acts  ii.  24. 


428  SIM 

only  shrive  himself  to  God ;  and  in  things  which  offended 
man,  he  should  shrive  him  to  man."* 

Shrove-tide.  The  period  immediately  before  Lent.  See 
Shrive. 

Shrove  Tuesday.  The  day  before  Ash  Wednesday,  so 
called  in  the  Church  of  England  "  from  the  old  Saxon  word 
shrive,  shrift,  or  shrove,  which  in  that  language  signifies  to 
confess  ;  it  being  a  constant  custom  among  the  Roman  Cath- 
olics to  confess  their  sins  on  that  day,  in  order  to  receive  the 
blessed  Sacrament,  [of  the  Eucharist,]  and  thereby  qualify 
themselves  for  a  more  religious  observance  of  the  holy  time 
of  Lent  immediately  ensuing."  f 

Sign  of  the  Cross.     See  Cross. 

St.  Simon  and  St.  Jude's  day.  A  holy-day  appointed  by 
the  Church  for  the  commemoration  of  these  saints. 

"  The  first  is  Simon,  surnamed  the  Canaanite,  and  Zelotes, 
which  two  names  are,  in  fact,  the  same  ;  for  the  Hebrew  term 
Canaan,  signifies  a  zealot. 

"  There  was  a  sect  of  men  called  Zealots,  about  the  time  of 
Christ,  in  Judea,  who  out  of  a  pretended  zeal  for  God's  honor, 
would  commit  the  most  grievous  outrages  ;  they  would  choose 
and  ordain  high  priests  out  of  the  basest  of  the  people,  and 
murder  men  of  the  highest  and  most  illustrious  extraction. 
And  it  is  highly  probable  that  this  Simon,  before  his  conver- 
sion and  call,  was  one  of  this  hot-headed  sect :  or,  at  least,  that 
there  was  some  fire  or  fierceness  conspicuous  in  his  temper 
that  occasioned  his  being  distinguished  by  that  warm  name. 

'*  He  was  one  of  the  twelve  Apostles,  and  a  relation  of  our 
blessed  Lord  ;  either  his  half-brother,  being  one  of  Joseph's 
sons  by  another  wife,  or  a  cousin  by  his  mother's  side. 

"  The  other  Saint,  this  day  commemorated,  was  likewise 
one  of  the  twelve  Apostles,  and  Simon's  brother,  and  con- 


♦  Account  of  the  Lollards.  t  Wheatly. 


SOL  429 

sequently  of  the  same  degree  of  consanguinity  to  our  blessed 
Savior. 

"He  had  two  surnames,  viz.,  Thaddeus,  which  seems  to  be 
nothing  more  than  a  diminutive  of  the  term  Judas,  as  it  is 
derived  from  the  same  Hebrew  root ;  and  Lebbeus,  which  is 
derived  from  another  Hebrew  root,  signifying  a  little  heart." 

Simony.  The  crime  of  offering  or  receiving  money,  &r,., 
for  spiritual  gifts  or  preferments.  The  first  instance  of  this 
offence  in  the  Christian  Church,  is  in  the  case  of  Simon 
Magus,  who  sought  to  purchase  the  Holy  Ghost  with  money. 
From  this  circumstance  the  name  of  Simony  is  derived. 
The  more  glaring  acts  of  simony  are  the  purchase  of  min- 
isterial authority  by  offering  and  receiving  money,  &c.,  at 
ordinations,  or  by  using  bribery  and  gifts  with  the  design  of 
securing  promotion  in  the  Church. 

Singers.  Those  who  conduct  the  musical  part  of  the 
Church  service.     See  Choir. 

Singers.  An  order  of  men  in  the  ancient  Church.  See 
Inferior  orders. 

Singing.     See  Music. 

"Giii^rujuAJtv."  Used  by  old  wilteia  In  lUe  seuac  of  tncom- 
parahle,  matchless,  of  unequalled  excellence.  The  following 
examples  are  taken  from  King  Edward  VI's  Primer. 
"  Breathe  into  my  heart  by  thy  Huly  Spirit,  this  most  precious 

and  singular  gift  of  faith,  which  worketh  by  charity,"  " 

that  when  thou  shalt  call  me  out  of  this  careful  life,  [a  life 
full  of  cares,]  I  may  enjoy  that  thy  most  singular  and  last 
benefit,  which  is  everlasting  glory  through  Jesus  Christ  our 
Lord." 

"Soldier  of  Christ."  An  expression  borrowed  from  a 
well-known  Scripture  simile,  and  frequently  introduced  or 
alluded  to  in  the  Prayer-book.* 

In  some  of  the  older  writers  of  the  Church  of  England, 

*  See  the^Offices  for  Baptism. 


430  spi 

the  word  "knight"  was  used  in  the  same  sense.  We  give 
an  example  or  two  from  Wiclif.  "  The  fourth  gift  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  is  the  gift  of  strength,  which  armeth  God's  kniglit, 
and  maketh  his  soul  hardy  and  strong  to  suffer  divers  dis- 
eases for  God's  love."  *  "  Are  not  these  lords,  who  thus  hold 
curates  in  their  courts  and  worldly  offices,^  traitors  to  God 
Almighty,  since  they  draw  away  his  chief  knights  from  their 
spiritual  battle,  when  and  where  they  were  most  needful  for 
this  service  ?  "  ij: 

Song  of  the  three  Children.     See  Benedicite. 

Special  Convention.  In  each  Diocese  of  the  Church 
there  is,  every  year,  a  regular  meeting  or  Convention  of  the 
Clergy,  and  a  portion  of  the  laity,  from  the  various  Churches, 
to  transact  business — to  frame  and  enact  laws  or  Canons — and 
to  consult  for  the  temporal  and  spiritual  welfare  of  the 
Churches.  See  Convention.  But  if  any  thing  unexpect- 
edly  occurs,  of  more  than  usual  importance,  in  the  interim, 
and  the  Church  would  suffer  injury  by  delay  in  acting  upon 
it,  t.hpn  thft  Bishop,  if  he  judge  expedient,  may  call  a  Con- 
vention before  the  ordinary  time,  to  take  measures  respecting 
thu  iimitcr.  A  Uonveniion  of  this  kmd,  xiui  being  a.  rtjgulcir 
annual  one,  but  held  for  a  special  or  particular  purpose,  is 
called  a  "Special  Convention." 

A  similar  extra  meeting  may  also  be  called  if  necessary, 
of  the  General  Convention,  the  regular  meetings  of  which 
are  only  once  in  three  years.  This  is  designated,  a  "Special 
General  Convention." 

Spiritual.  Spirituals.  Terms  in  ecclesiastical  lan- 
guage applied  to  those  offices,  duties,  functions,  (fee,  of  reli. 
gion  and  of  the  ministry,  which  are  opposed  to  such  as  are  of 
a  merely  temporal  or  ordinary  character.    In  the  37th  Article 

♦  Poor  Caitiff. 

t  Alluding  to  those  who  induced  the  Clergy  to  forsake  their  parishes  for 
secular  employment. 

t  Office  of  Curates,  &jc.,  by  Wiclif. 


spo  431 

the  distinction  is  recognized.  "  The  power  of  the  Civil  Magis- 
trate extendeth  to  all  men,  as  well  clergy  as  laity,  in  all 
things  temporal;  but  hath  no  authority  in  things  purely 
spiritual."  We  have  a  good  example  also  in  the  following 
passage  of  Archbishop  Seeker's  3d  Charge:  "  I  now  proceed 
to  another  point,  of  a  temporal  nature  indeed,  as  it  may  seem, 
but  several  ways  connected  with  spirituals,  viz.,  the  care  you 
are  bound  to  take  of  the  incomes  arising  from  your  benefices." 

Spirituality.  In  the  ecclesiastical  affairs  and  language 
of  the  Church  of  England,  the  whole  body  of  the  Clergy 
are  denominated  the  spiritualily.  The  term  is  evidently  de- 
rived from  the  spiritual  nature  of  the  office  which  they  hold. 

Sponsors.  In  the  administration  of  baptism,  these  have 
from  time  immemorial  held  a  distinguished  and  important 
place.  Various  titles  have  been  given  them,  significative  of 
the  position  they  hold  and  the  duties  to  which  they  are 
pledged.  Thus  they  are  called  Sponsors,  because  in  infant 
baptisms  they  respond  or  answer  for  the  baptized.  They  are 
Sureties,  in  virtue  of  the  security  given  through  them  to  the 
Church,  that  the  baptized  shall  be  "virtuously  brought  up  to 
lead  a  godly  and  a  Christian  life."  And  from  the  spiritual 
affinity  here  created,  by  which  a  responsibility  almost  pa- 
rental is  undertaken  by  the  sureties,  in  the  future  training  of 
the  baptized,  the  terms  Godfather  and  Godmother  have  taken 
their  rise. 

In  the  American  Church,  as  in  that  of  the  primitive  age, 
parents  are  permitted  to  stand  as  sponsors,  if  it  be  desired. 
The  rubric  also  requires,  that  "There  shall  be  for  every  Male 
Child  to  be  baptized,  when  they  can  be  had,  two  Godfathers 
and  one  Godmother  ;  and  for  every  Female,  one  Godfather 
and  two  Godmothers." 

The  Office  of  Sponsors  is  (in  the  case  of  infants)  twofold. 
let,  that  of  acting  in  their  name  in  making  the  requisite  re- 
nunciation of  the  devil  and  all  his  works,  &c.,  confession  of 
faith  in  Christ,  and  promises  of  a  holy  life  :  2d,  that  of  pro- 


432  STE 

viding  and  securing  for  the  child  by  their  faithful  endeavors, 
not  only  a  bare  knowledge  of  the  principles  of  the  gospel, 
but  as  far  as  may  be,  a  practical  acquaintance  with  the  im- 
portant  vows  made  for  them  in  baptism,  and  the  solemn  con- 
secration of  heart  and  life  which  they  involve. 

Sprinkling.     See  Immersion. 

Stalls.  In  a  Cathedral  or  Collegiate  Church,  certain 
seats  constructed  for  the  Clergy  and  dignitaries  of  the  Church, 
and  used  by  them  exclusively.  These  stalls  are  placed  in 
that  portion  of  the  building  called  the  Choir,  or  the  part  in 
which  divine  service  is  usually  performed. 

"  Stay."  This  word  is  found  in  its  antiquated  sense,  in  the 
Burial  Service,  but  in  no  other  part  of  the  Prayer-book.  It 
occurs  in  a  passage  quoted  from  Job  xiv.  1,  2,  thus  :  "  Man 
that  is  born  of  a  woman,  hath  but  a  short  time  to  live,  and  is 
full  of  misery.  He  cometh  up,  and  is  cut  down  like  a  flower ; 
he  fleeth  as  it  were  a  shadow,  and  never  continueth  in  one 
stay."  The  verses  as  they  here  stand,  are  from  a  translation 
of  the  Bible,  earlier  than  that  now  in  use.  The  word  «  stay'' 
may  be  changed  for  "  place"  or  "  condition"  without  affecting 
the  sense.  The  Bible  translation  gives  the  full  sense  of  the 
phrase  :  "  He  cometh  forth  like  a  flower,  and  is  cut  down  :  he 
fleeth  also  as  a  shadow,  and  continueth  not." 

St.  Stephen's  day.  The  day  on  which  the  Church  com- 
memorates  the  virtues  and  death  of  Stephen,  the  martyr. 
This  festival  is  immediately  followed  by  those  of  St.  John  the 
Evangelist,  and  of  the  Holy  Innocents.  "  They  are  placed 
immediately  after  Christmas,  to  intimate  (as  is  supposed)  that 
none  are  thought  fitter  attendants  in  Christ's  nativity  than 
those  blessed  Martyrs  who  lost  their  temporal  hves  for  him, 
from  whose  incarnation  and  birth  they  received  Hfe  eternal. 

"  As  there  arc  three  kinds  of  martyrdom  ;  the  first,  in  will 
and  in  deed ;  the  second,  in  will,  but  not  in  deed  ;  and  the 
third  in  deed,  but  not  in  will ;  so  our  Church  commemorates 
these  Martyrs  in  the  same  order.     St.  Stephen,  therefore,  is 


sue  433 

placed  first,  as  he  suffered  death  both  in  will  and  deed  ;  St. 
John  the  Evangelist  next,  as  he  suffered  in  will  but  not  in 
deed  ;  and  the  Holy  Innocents  last,  who  suffered  in  deed,  but 
not  in  will." 

"Stool."  A  seat,  place  of  power,  or  throne.  See  Psalm 
xciv.  20.  "  Wilt  thou  have  any  thing  to  do  with  the  stool  of 
wickedness,"  &c.  The  idea  seems  to  be  that  of  sanctioning 
or  partaking  in  the  iniquity  of  those  in  high  places,  who  sin 
as  though  their  unrighteous  desires  were  a  law  to  them.  The 
Bible  translation  is, — "  Shall  the  throne  of  iniquity  have  fel- 
lowship with  thee,  which  frameth  mischief  by  a  law  ?" 

"Strong."  See  Collect  for  the  4th  Sunday  after  Trinity. 
"  O  God,  the  protector  of  all  that  trust  in  thee,  without  whom 
nothing  is  strong,  nothing  is  holy,"  &c.  This  prayer,  it  will 
be  observed,  is  for  aid  and  guidance  "  through  things  tem- 
poral;"  in  which  the  Christian  needs  that  his  weakness  should 
be  strengthened  into  spiritual  vigor,  lest  by  the  trials  of  this 
mortal  state,  he  should  be  overcome,  and  in  the  end,  fail  of 
his  reward.  All  strength  to  contend  with  adversities  and 
temptations  comes  from  God.  He  alone  "  giveth  strength 
and  power  unto  his  people  ;"  therefore  the  Church  teaches  her 
children  to  rely  on  Him,  "  without  whom,  nothing  is  strong.''^ 

SuB-DEAcoN.     See  Inferior  orders. 

Substance.  In  relation  to  the  Godhead,  that  which  forms 
its  essence  or  being — that  in  which  the  divine  attributes  in- 
here. In  the  language  of  the  Church,  and  agreeably  with 
holy  writ,  Christ  is  said  to  be  of  the  same  substance  with  the 
Father,  being  begotten,  and  therefore  partaking  of  the  divine 
essence,  not  made,  as  was  the  opinion  of  some  of  the  early 
heretics.     See  Consubstantial. 

Success.  A  plea  not  unfrequently  adopted  by  those  who 
contend  for  the  validity  of  non- episcopal  ministrations.  The 
ground  assumed  is,  that  God's  blessing  evidently  follows  such 
ministrations,  as  shown  in  the  conversion  of  sinners  and  the 
spiritual  edification  of  believers  ;  and  that  as  this  "success" 

37 


434  SFccfiss. 

flows  from  the  divine  co-operation,  the  highest  testimony  is 
given  to  the  validity  of  the  ordinations  under  which  it  is 
effected.  Now  so  far  as  the  fact  of  success  is  concerned, 
we  freely  acknowledge  it,  and  give  God  thanks  that  his  word 
"is  not  bound,"  but  has  free  course  and  is  glorified,  by 
whomsoever  spoken.  But  we  deny  altogether  that  success 
is  a  test  of  valid  ordination  ;  for  it  may  follow  the  declara- 
tion of  the  gospel  by  any  one,  whether  man,  woman,  or 
child, — whether  Jew,  Turk,  Infidel,  or  Heretic.  The  mere 
fact  of  a  layman  becoming  instrumental  in  the  "  winning  of 
souls,"  is  a  proof  of  the  efficacy  of  God's  truth,  but  not  of 
the  existence  of  ministerial  authority  in  such  a  person.  Sup- 
pose that  good  results  follow  the  labors  of  those  who  usurp  the 
sacred  office.  What  thenl  Does  this  legalize  their  usurpa- 
tions 1  By  no  mesins  ;  it  only  proves  that  the  sword  of  the 
Spirit  will  pierce,  though  in  unlawful  hands  ; — that  the  vine- 
yard will  thrive,  though  strangers  Vv^ater  it;  that  the  good 
seed  will  grow,  even  when  scattered  by  those  who  are  no 
husbandmen.  Let  success  be  the  test,  and  the  ministry  may 
be  claimed  by  all  men  ;  for  all,  with  the  Bible  in  their  hands, 
and  the  gift  of  speech  to  proclaim  it,  may  ordinarily  meet 
the  test  and  demand  its  issue.  If  the  inquiry  be  here  made. 
Why  laymen  may  not  exercise  clerical  functions  innocently 
and  without  restraint;  we  reply,  because  Christ  otherwise 
ordered  it.  He  established  in  the  Church  a  ministry;  to  that 
ministry  he  granted  certain  high  prerogatives ;  and  into  it 
none  might  intrude  without  his  commission.  This  ministry 
is  adequate  to  all  the  purposes  for  which  it  was  designed, 
rendering  usurpation  as  inexcusable  els  it  is  needless.  And 
though  a  temporary  success  may  attend  the  acts  of  those  who 
invade  the  ministry,  yet  it  is  invariably  at  the  risk  of  perma- 
nent  evils,  of  which  no  stronger  attestation  need  be  given 
than  the  deplorable  schisms  and  heresies  now  rife  in  the 
Christian  world. 


suF  435 

Succession,  Apostolical.  See  Uninterrupted  suc- 
cession. 

Succession,  Uninterrupted.  See  Uninterrupted  suc- 
cession. 

"  Sudden  death."  A  petition  against  this  occurs  in  the 
Litany,  and  lias  been  made  a  matter  of  objection,  on  the 
ground  that  it  implies  an  interference  with  the  will  of  Provi- 
dence. The  term,  as  explained  in  some  other  liturgies,  re- 
fers to  unprepared  death,  which  is  a  proper  subject  of  depre- 
cation, inasmuch  as  the  holiest  of  men  need  at  that  solemn 
hour  the  comforts  of  religion ;  and  much  more  may  the  un- 
righteous profit  by  a  time  allotted  them  for  repentance.  But 
even  in  the  stricter  import  of  the  term,  there  is  nothing 
justly  objectionable.  Death  is  an  event,  the  time  of  which 
is  in  God's  hand,  and  the  circumstances  also  ;  yet  the  saints 
of  old  besought  the  Almighty  that  they  might  not  be  taken 
away  suddenly  in  the  midst  of  their  days,  and  their  prayers 
to  this  effect  left  on  record,  are  a  sufficient  vindication  of  the 
petition  in  question. 

Sufpragan.  The  designation  of  certain  titular  bishops, 
appointed  to  act  under  a  superior,  within  a  prescribed  dis- 
trict or  diocese  of  the  Church.  In  the  ancient  Church,  all 
the  Bishops  in  a  province  were  properly  suffragans,  in  rela- 
tion to  their  metropolitan  ;  each  had  his  proper  diocese,  and 
assumed  its  appropriate  title ;  but  yet  they  were  subject  to 
the  metropolitan,  and  under  his  jurisdiction.  The  fact  of 
their  being  thus  dependent  on  a  superior,  and  bound  to  give 
their  suffrage  and  assistance  to  him,  and  to  meet  at  his  com- 
mand in  provincial  synods,  &c.,  was  })robably  the  origin  of 
the  term  by  which  they  were  distinguished,  though  it  has  also 
been  supposed  that  it  sprung  from  their  claiming  to  vote,  or 
to  give  their  suffrages,  in  the  election  of  the  Archbishop.  In 
England,  the  diocesan  Bishops  are  still  regarded  as  suffra- 
gans, under  the  control  of  the  Archbishops  of  the  two  pro- 
vinces  of  Canterbury  and  York. 


436  SUN 

In  the  American  Church,  suffragans  are  not  allowed  by  the 
Canons.  The  distinction  between  them  and  Assistant 
Bishops,  seems  to  be  this.  An  Assistant  Bishop  acts  within 
the  diocese  of  his  principal,  not  having  a  diocese  of  his  own 
with  its  proper  title,  nor  a  defined  district  of  his  superior's 
diocese  ;  whereas  the  reverse  of  this  is  true  of  a  suffragan, 
who  has  his  own  distinct  sphere  of  jurisdiction,  and  claims 
the  title  belonging  to  it.  A  suffragan  implies  the  existence 
of  an  Archbishop,  or  of  a  Bishop  exercising  jurisdiction  with- 
out the  bounds  of  his  own  proper  diocese,  or  within  portions 
of  it  marked  out  as  secondary  bishoprics  ;  but  an  Assistant 
Bishop  implies  nothing  of  the  kind,  he  being,  as  his  designa- 
tion imports,  the  helper  of  the  Bishop  when  disabled  by  in- 
firmity, in  administering  the  affairs  of  a  single  unbroken  dio- 
cese, every  portion  of  which  is  equally  the  field  of  his  epis- 
copal duties,  under  the  advice  and  regulation  of  the  diocesan. 
See  also  Chorepiscopus. 

Suffrage.  A  vote,  token  of  assent  and  approbation,  or, 
as  in  public  worship,  the  united  voice  and  consent  of  the 
people  in  the  petitions  offered.  "  See  now  then,  both  learned 
and  unlearned,  how  prayers  and  all  other  suffrages.,  are  in 
common  to  this  spiritual  Church."  * 

The  term  is  also  used  in  the  Prayer-book  to  designate  a 
short  form  of  petition,  as  in  the  Litany.  Thus,  in  the  Order 
for  the  Consecration  of  Bishops,  we  read  that,  in  the  Litany 
as  then  used,  after  the  words,  "  That  it  may  please  thee  to 
illuminate  all  Bishops,"  &c.,  "the  proper  Suffrage  shall  be, 
*That  it  may  please  thee  to  bless  this  our  brother  elected.'  " 
&c.  The  versicles  immediately  after  the  Creed  in  morning 
and  evening  prayer,  are  also  denominated  suffrage:^. 

Suicides.     See  Burial  service. 

Sunday.     See  Lord's  day. 


The  Lantern  of  Light,  A.  D.  1400, 


SUN  437 

StTNDAY,  or  Dominical  letter.  In  the  Calendar,  the 
first  seven  letters  of  the  alphabet  are  applied  to  the  days  of 
the  week,  the  letter  A  being  always  given  to  the  1st  of 
January,  whatever  that  day  may  be,  and  the  others  in  suc- 
cession to  the  following  days.  If  the  year  consisted  of 
364  days,  making  an  exact  number  of  weeks,  it  is  evident 
that  no  change  would  ever  take  place  in  these  letters  ;  thus, 
supposing  the  1st  of  January  in  any  given  year  to  be  Sunday, 
all  the  Sundays  would  be  represented  by  A,  not  only  in  that 
year,  but  in  all  succeeding.  There  being,  however,  365  days 
in  the  year,  the  first  letter  is  again  repeated  on  the  31st  of 
December,  and  consequently  the  Sunday  letter  for  the  follow- 
ing year  will  be  G.  "  This  retrocession  of  the  letters,  will, 
from  the  same  cause,  continue  every  year,  so  as  to  make  F 
the  dominical  letter  of  the  third,  &c.  If  every  year  were 
common,  the  process  would  continue  regularly,  and  a  cycle 
of  seven  years  would  suffice  to  restore  the  same  letters  to  the 
same  days  as  before.  But  the  intercalation  of  a  day,  every 
bissextile  or  fourth  year,  has  occasioned  a  variation  in  this 
respect.  The  bissextile  year  containing  366,  instead  of  365 
days,  will  throw  the  dominical  letter  of  the  following  year 
back  two  letters,  so  that  if  the  dominical  letter  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  year  be  C,  the  dominical  letter  of  the  next  year 
will  be,  not  B,  but  A.  This  alteration  is  not  effected  by  drop- 
ping a  letter  altogether,  but  by  changing  the  dominical  letter 
at  the  end  of  February,  where  the  intercalation  of  a  day 
takes  place.  In  consequence  of  this  change  every  fourth 
year,  twenty-eight  years  must  elapse,  before  a  complete 
revolution  can  take  place  in  the  dominical  letter,  and  it 
is  on  this  circumstance  that  the  period  of  the  solar  cycle 
is  founded." 

Sunday  school.  An  institution  for  the  religious  educa- 
tion  of  children,  usually  in  connection  with  a  church  or 
parish,  and  holding  its  exercises  on  the  Lord's  day.  As  we 
have  already  had  occasion,  in  the  article  Catechising,  to 

37* 


438  SITNDAY   SCHOOL. 

apeak  of  the  general  duty  of  early  religious  training,  it  will  be 
the  less  necessary  to  enlarge  upon  it  here. 

Sunday  Schools  form  one  of  the  many  instrumentalities 
employed  by  the  Church,  for  the  benefit  of  her  younger 
members.  Their  rise  has  usually  been  dated  from  the  truly 
Christian  efforts  of  a  citizen  of  Gloucester,  England,  whose 
benevolent  spirit  led  him,  about  half  a  century  ago,  to  devise 
these  organizations  for  the  reclaiming  of  the  children  of  the 
lower  classes  from  vice  and  ignorance.  It  is  not  however  to 
he  supposed  that,  anterior  to  this,  no  systematic  means  had 
been  attempted  for  the  religious  instruction  of  the  young. 
Indeed,  Mr.  Raikes'  schools  were  at  first  far  more  of  a  secular 
character  than  those  of  the  present  day ;  and,  if  we  mistake 
not,  were  preparatives,  rather  than  substitutes,  for  the  regular 
provisions  of  the  Church.  So  excellent  a  plan  was,  however. 
Hot  to  be  neglected,  as  a  valuable  auxiliary  to  pastoral  effort ; 
and  it  accordingly  received  the  countenance  and  patronage  it 
so  well  deserved.  In  ages  before,  means  had  been  establish- 
ed for  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  young.  The  Church  had 
engaged  for  this  object,  a  train  of  responsible  agents,  and 
required  it  at  the  hands  of  her  Clergy,  Catechists,  and  Bap- 
tismal sponsors,  as  well  as  from  the  labors  of  private  teach- 
ers, and  the  parents  themselves.  There  can  also  be  no  doubt 
that  at  the  Reformation,  the  restorers  of  the  English  Church 
had  fully  in  view,  the  adequate  instruction  of  the  young  in 
the  principles  of  the  gospel.  Of  this,  the  Church  Catechism 
is  in  itself  a  sufficient  proof,  containing,  as  it  does,  an  admi- 
rable statement  of  all  those  things  "  which  a  Christian  ought 
to  know  and  believe  to  his  soul's  health  ; "  and  this  in  lan- 
guage so  simple  and  intelligible,  that  it  seems  to  be  the  very 
alphabet  of  the  gospel.  And  that  the  grand  purpose  of  this 
was  the  careful  training  of  all  children,  without  exception,  in 
the  paths  of  piety,  is  evident  from  the  rubric  appended,  in 
which  it  is  required  of  them  to  be  present  at  Church  "at  the 
appointed  time,  and  obediently  to  hear,  and  to  be  ordered  by 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL.  439 

the  Minister,  until  sucii  time  as  they  have  learned  all  that  is 
appointed  for  them  to  learn."  This,  viewed  in  connection 
with  the  efforts  of  parents  and  sponsors,  shows  how  intimately 
the  spiritual  care  of  the  young  was  blended  with  the  earliest 
policy  of  the  parent  Church. 

But  with  all  this  apparatus  for  juvenile  instruction,  the 
lapse  of  a  century  or  two  brought  with  it  several  powerful 
motives  for  the  introduction  of  a  more  enlarged  system  oit 
measures,  having  however  the  same  great  object  in  view. 
The  increased  demands  made  upon  clerical  labor,  at  every 
period  subsequent  to  the  Reformation,  rendered  it  expedient, 
that  in  the  care  of  a  large  flock,  the  pastor  should  receive  and 
employ  such  aid  as  the  laity  were  qualified  to  render.  And 
again ;  the  increase  of  population  was  far  more  rapid  than 
that  of  the  means  of  religious  instruction  ;  and  the  conse- 
quence was,  the  exposure  of  thousands  of  children  to  igno- 
rance, vice,  and  every  kind  of  demoralizing  influence.  These 
were  characteristics  of  the  times,  which  needed  prompt  relief 
and  vigorous  action  ;  for  the  eye  of  humanity  was  shocked  to 
look  upon  the  wide-spread  mischief  which  was  working  so 
ruinously  and  so  fatally.  Such  was  precisely  the  state  of 
things  in  England,  when  Mr.  Raikes  first  conceived  the  idea 
of  gathering  together  in  little  groups  on  the  Lord's  day,  the 
neglected  children  of  some  of  the  more  populous  districts, 
and  of  redeeming  their  early  years  from  the  corrupting  in- 
fluences  around  them.  It  was  a  noble  thought,  and  God's 
blessing  went  with  it,  endowing  it  with  such  unexampled  sue- 
cess,  that  in  less  than  five  years  from  the  commencement, 
about  250,000  children  were  every  Sunday  receiving  in- 
struction, and  several  Bishops  of  the  Church  came  forward 
to  hail  the  scheme,  and  "  cast  the  weight  of  their  mitres  into 
the  scale  of  this  holy  cause."  And  the  Institution  was  one  ad- 
mirably  adapted  for  perpetuity.  It  began  with  the  countenance 
of  the  Church,  and  with  the  sanction  of  every  pious  mind. 
And  though  the  original  plan  has  suffered  some  alteration 


440  SUNDAY    SCHOOL. 

since,  it  has  been  still  for  the  better,  in  the  fact  that  the  pre- 
sent  universality  of  education  relieves  the  Sunday  School  of 
much  mere  literary  labor,  and  leaves  it  more  free  to  act  in  a 
purely  religious  character.  The  system  needs  no  better 
eulogy,  than  the  statement  that  at  the  present  day  it  has 
become  closely  associated  with  almost  every  department  of 
pious  enterprise.  Its  triumphant  progress  and  mighty  re- 
sults are  known  to  all.  It  has  been  tested,  and  it  has  achieved 
wonders.  To  say  nothing  of  its  direct  bearing  on  personal 
piety,  it  has  acted,  and  is  still  acting,  with  an  incalculable  power 
in  behalf  of  national  virtue.  So  much  so,  indeed,  that  had  it 
not  been  for  this  important  institution,  constantly  giving  its 
checks  to  early  waywardness,  the  tone  of  public  morals  would, 
beyond  all  question,  have  been  many  degrees  below  its  pre- 
sent standard.  We  do  not  realize  this  as  vividly,  perhaps,  as 
we  ought,  for  we  are  too  familiar  with  the  system.  We  are 
born,  we  grow,  we  live,  and  we  die,  in  a  Sunday  School  at- 
mosphere. We  know  not  fully  what  we  enjoy.  We  do  not 
observe  the  purifying  influence  that  is  about  us — strong  and 
successful,  yet  unostentatiously  fulfilling  its  high  and  benevo- 
lent offices.  But  the  etfect  on  public  virtue  is,  after  all,  only 
a  secondary  result  of  Sunday  School  instruction.  The  main 
design  is  that  of  making  pure  religion  victorious  over  the 
heart,  and  supreme  in  the  government  of  the  soul.  Just  so 
far  as  this  is  attained,  the  teacher  counts  himself  successful, 
and  the  Church  rejoices  with  him.  It  is  here  that  the  pious 
teacher  finds  his  highest  gratification :  for  he  feels  that  he  is 
preparing  souls  for  a  holy  life  and  a  happy  eternity.  It  is  to 
the  renewing  effect  of  the  gospel  of  Christ  that  he  so  anx- 
iously looks ;  and  hails  with  the  liveliest  enthusiasm  any 
indication  of  its  power  and  influence. 

Much  has  been  said  about  the  relation  in  which  Sunday 
Schools  should  stand  to  the  Minister  of  the  parish  in  which 
they  are  situated.  Some  have  contended  for  their  entire  in- 
dependence,  making  it  something  like  an  act  of  intrusion  for 


SUNDAY    SCHOOL.  441 

the  Minister  to  hold  jurisdiction  over  them.  In  such  circum- 
stances,  there  are  three  inquiries  to  be  made.  1.  Whether 
the  Redeemer's  command  to  the  Clergy, — "  Feed  my  lambs," 
has  ever  been  repealed.  2.  Whether  the  appointments  of  the 
Church,  to  which  we  have  already  referred,  are  yet  in  force. 
3.  Whether  the  children  of  the  school  are  a  portion  of  the 
Clergyman's  spiritual  charge.  The  answer  to  these  questions, 
will  show  how  far  the  Minister's  authority  extends  over  the 
younger  members  of  his  flock  ;  and  none  can  fail  of  the  con- 
clusion, that  whatever  auxiliary  means  are  employed  for  the 
spiritual  benefit  of  children,  the  chief  responsibility  and  over, 
sight  rests  with  him. 

In  the  prosecution  of  Sunday  School  instruction,  there  are 
at  least  two  objects  to  be  constantly  kept  in  view.  1.  The 
fixing  of  definite  and  clear  impressions  of  religious  truth, 
wherever  we  undertake  to  train  the  mind  at  all.  It  is  incon- 
ceivable how  much  well-intended  zeal  may  be  brought  into 
action  by  the  teacher,  and  how  much  time  and  labor  the 
pupil  may  sometimes  consume  in  reading  and  reciting,  with- 
out leaving  on  the  mind  any  strong,  vivid,  and  systematic 
apprehension  of  the  truths  of  religion,  though  at  the  same 
time  they  may  appear  obvious  and  luminous  enough  to  our- 
selves.  Now  where  this  is  the  case,  the  benefits  which  should 
flow  from  our  industry,  are  in  a  great  measure  neutralized,  and 
the  formation  of  the  religious  character  is  defeated, — we  labor 
in  vain,  and  children  grow  up  without  any  distinct  under- 
standing  of  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel,  or  the  peculiar  prin- 
ciples of  the  Church.  The  danger  of  leaving  the  mind  in 
this  confused  state,  has  been  felt  by  all  denominations  of 
Christians,  and  by  none  more  than  our  own.  But  there  is  a 
very  safe  remedy  for  all  this.  Let  every  thing  that  is  taught 
to  a  child,  be  presented  as  a  fact,  and  never  as  a  subject  of 
controversy,  or  in  a  spirit  of  hesitation.  The  Church,  in  her 
religious  training,  knows  nothing  about  opinions  contrary  to 
the   truths   she   has  brought  down  from  the  Apostles;  and 


442  SUNDAY    SCHOOL. 

therefore  she  preserves  her  children  on  solid  ground,  leaving 
for  maturer  years  the  survey  of  the  quicksands  of  error. 
2d.  There  should  be  an  adherence  to  a  regular  and  perspicu- 
ous exposition  of  all  the  points  of  the  Christian  faith.  In  these 
will  be  embraced  every  distinct  feature  of  the  doctrine  of 
Christ ;  and  when  once  clearly  understood,  they  will  take 
firm  hold  on  the  mind,  and  their  mutual  connection  will  soon 
be  perceived  and  appreciated.  In  this  way,  let  the  whole 
ground  be  trodden.  Introduce  the  pupil,  by  degrees,  to 
every  thing  which  the  Church  regards  as  important.  Show 
him  not  only  the  doctrines,  but  also  the  ministry — the  wor- 
ship, and  the  discipline,  of  the  Church.  Arm  him  at  all 
points,  so  that  he  may  in  after  life  be  a  man  of  God — a  soldier 
of  Christ — perfect,  and  thoroughly  furnished  unto  all  good 
works.  Now  in  order  to  ensure  all  this,  the  books  employ- 
ed should  be  such,  and  only  such  as  agree  with  the  doctrines 
of  Christ  as  taught  in  the  Church,  and  with  those  principles 
by  which,  as  a  religious  body,  we  are  distinguished.  This 
is  not  only  an  act  of  justice  to  our  own  Church,  but  it  is  re- 
commended by  the  example  of  all  denominations  of  Chris- 
tians. And,  what  kind  of  religious  views  but  the  most 
confused  and  contradictory,  would  be  produced  in  the  mind 
of  a  pupil,  by  putting  into  his  hands  books  gleaned  from 
every  quarter,  and  expressing  the  sentiments  of  various  bodies 
of  Christians,  all  which  the  poor  child  reads  in  good  faith,  as 
equally  true,  though  perfectly  bewildered  by  their  disagree- 
ments? What  could  be  expected,  but  that  he  should  grow 
up  without  any  fixed  and  decided  principles  at  all?  Just  as 
well  might  he  go  a  little  further,  and  attend  the  schools  of 
different  denominations  in  rotation,  and  receive  on  every 
Sunday  a  confutation  of  his  previous  lesson.  Let  not  the 
Churchman's  child  be  thus  abused,  and  cast  on  the  stormy 
sea  of  opinion,  without  rudder,  compass,  or  pilot,  to  direct  his 
way.  If  we  believe  that  the  doctrines  of  our  Church  are 
%05e  of  Christ  and  his  Apostles, — that  the  order  and  worship 


SUP  443 

of  this  Church  are  on  the  right  foundation,  that  here  piety- 
may  grow  on  as  favorable  a  soil  as  elsewhere,  to  say  the  least, 
— then  prudence  would  advise,  even  if  consistency  did  not  re- 
quire, the  furnishing  of  our  schools  with  such  publications, 
and  the  faithful  teaching  of  such  principles,  as  are  approved 
by  the  Church,  and  breathe  the  genuine  spirit  of  Apostolic 
times. 

Supererogation.  In  the  Romish  Church,  works  of  su- 
pererogation are  those  good  deeds  which  are  supposed  to 
have  been  performed  by  departed  saints,  over  and  above  whdX 
is  required  for  their  own  salvation.  These  constitute  an  in- 
exhaustible fund,  on  which  the  Pope  has  the  power  of  draw- 
ing at  pleasure,  for  the  relief  of  the  Church,  by  the  application 
of  some  portion  of  this  superabundant  merit,  to  meet  a  defi- 
ciency in  the  spiritual  worth  of  any  of  its  members. 

Supplications.  The  whole  Litany  is  called  a  General 
Supplication ;  but  this  term  is  the  appropriate  designation 
only  of  that  portion  included  within  brackets,  and  left  discre- 
tionary in  the  American  Prayer-book.  This  part  of  the 
Litany  "was  first  collected  and  arranged  in  this  form,  when 
the  barbarous  nations  began  to  overrun  the  Church,  about 
600  years  after  Christ."*  But  though  the  Church  is  now  ex- 
empt from  actual  persecution,  yet  in  its  militant  state,  being 
ever  exposed  to  the  assaults  of  "  sin,  the  world,  and  the  devil," 
there  is  no  impropriety,  but  a  manifest  appropriateness  in  re- 
taining this  highly  devotional  strain  of  prayer.  In  this  part 
of  the  Litany  occurs  the  Lord's  prayer,  a  form,  without  which 
the  ancient  Christians  always  regarded  their  supplications  as 
incomplete.  Here  also  we  find  that  affecting  prayer  of  St. 
Gregory,  "O  God,  merciful  Father,  who  despisest  not  the 
sighing  of  a  contrite  heart,"  &c.,  a  prayer  which  has  been  in 
use  more  than  1200  years.       In  this,  a  single  alteration  has 


Wheatly. 


444  sus 

been  made,  by  the  omission  of  a  clause   relative  to  the  inter- 
cession of  angels  and  departed  saints. 

The  discretionary  part  of  the  Litany,  remarks  Bishop 
Brownell,  "  is  so  excellent  and  so  fervent,  that  it  will  seldom 
be  omitted,  unless  there  is  some  imperious  necessity  for 
abridging  the  service.  And  in  those  congregations  where  it  is 
thought  expedient  generally  to  omit  it,  propriety  would  seem 
to  dictate  the  use  of  it,  on  all  the  more  solemn  seasons  of  the 
Church." 

Supremacy.  The  rank  claimed  by  the  Bishop  of  Rome, 
as  Vicar  of  Christ,  and  supreme  head  of  the  Church  on 
earth, — a  rank  which  was  not  acknowledged  in  the  primitive 
age,  and  of  which  it  is  notorious  that  the  ancient  British 
Church  knew  nothing  for  600  years  after  its  establishment. 

Surcingle.  The  band,  girdle,  or  belt,  used  by  clergymen 
with  their  Cassocks 

Sureties.  A  title  given  to  sponsors  in  baptism,  indica- 
tive of  the  solemn  obligation  which  they  assume,  in  assuring 
to  the  child  or  person  baptized,  the  benefit  of  that  spiritual 
instruction  required  by  the  Church,  preparatory  to  the  ratifica- 
tion of  his  baptismal  vows  at  Confirmation.     See  Sponsors. 

Surplice.  A  flowing  white  garment  used  by  the  Clergy 
in  reading  the  Morning  and  Evening  Prayer,  in  the  admin- 
istration of  the  holy  Communion,  and  in  general,  in  all  offices 
of  the  Church,  except  preaching.  The  surplice  is  of  con- 
siderable antiquity,  and  independently  of  this,  its  appropriate- 
ness as  an  emblem  of  that  light  and  purity  which  distinguish 
the  Gospel,  will  ever  plead  in  its  favor  against  current  objec- 
tions.    See  Clerical  garments. 

SuRSUM  coRDA.  "  Lift  up  your  hearts  ;"  a  form  of  great 
antiquity  in  the  liturgical  services  of  almost  every  branch  of 
the  Church. 

Suspension.  The  second  degree  of  punishment  in  the 
case  of  a  Clergyman  who  has  been  tried  for  an  offence,  and 
found  guilty.     It  consists  in  the  Bishop's  taking  away  from 


STif  445 

him,  for  a  certain  time,  the  liberty  of  performing  divine  ser- 
vice, preaching,  and  exercising  any  other  of  the  duties  of  a 
Minister.     See  Admonition,  and  Degradation. 

A  Communicant  may  also  be  suspended,  or  not  allowed  to 
partake  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  if  the  Minister  shall  know  him 
to  be  "  an  open  and  notorious  evil  liver,  or  to  have  done  any 
wrong  to  his  neighbor  by  word  or  deed,  so  that  the  Congre- 
gation be  thereby  offended."  And  it  is  also  made  the  duty 
of  the  Minister,  to  proceed  in  the  same  manner,  or  to  use  the 
same  order,  "  with  those,  betwixt  whom  he  perceiveth  malice 
and  hatred  to  reign  ;  not  suffering  them  to  be  partakers  of 
the  Lord's  Table,  until  he  know  them  to  be  reconciled." 

The  reason  why  unworthy  persons  are  thus  suspended, 
instead  of  being  altogether  excluded  from  the  Communion,  is, 
1st,  that  they  may  have  time  to  repent,  and  amend  their  lives, 
and  thus  be,  in  the  end,  restored  to  the  Church.  And  2d, 
that  the  Minister  may  acquaint  the  Bishop  with  the  facts,  and 
obtain  his  advice  and  judgment  on  the  case  ;  for  it  is  ordered, 
that,  if  any  one  has  been  repelled  from  the  Communion,  the 
Minister  "shall  be  obliged  to  give  an  account  of  the  same  to 
the  Ordinary  (the  Bishop)  as  soon  as  conveniently  may  be." 

Symbol,  or  Symbolum.  A  title  anciently  given  to  the 
Apostles'  Creed,  and  for  which  several  reasons  have  been 
assigned.  Two  of  these  have  an  appearance  of  probability, 
viz.,that,l,  which  derives  the  word  from  the  Greek  o'ufjbjSaXXgjv, 
signifying  a  throwing  or  casting  together,  and  alleges  that 
the  Apostles  each  contributed  an  article  to  form  the  Creed  ; 
and  2,  the  opinion  that  this  Creed  was  used  in  times  of  per- 
secution  as  a  watch. word  or  mark  whereby  Christians  (like 
soldiers  in  an  army)  were  distinguished  from  all  others. 
This  latter  is  the  sense  given  in  the  Short  Catechism  of 
Edward  VL  1552,  where  we  read.  "  M.  Why  is  this 
abridgment  of  the  faith  termed  a  symbol  ?  S.  A  symbol  is  as 
much  as  to  say,  a  sign,  mark,  privy-token,  or  watrh-word, 
whereby  the  soldiers  of  the  same  camp  are  known  from  their 

38 


446  TAB 

enemies.  For  this  reason  the  abridgment  of  the  faith,  whereby 
the  Christians,  are  known  from  them  that  are  no  Christians, 
is  rightly  named  a  symbol." 

The  term  symbol,  importing  an  emblem  or  sensible  repre- 
sentation, is  also  applied  in  the  holy  Eucharist  to  the  sacred 
elements,  which  there  set  forth  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ. 

Symphony.  In  music,  an  instrumental  composition  in  the 
form  of  an  overture,  &c.  The  term  is  popularly  applied  to 
short  introductory  movements  on  the  organ,  before  anthems 
and  other  pieces ;  also  to  any  portion  performed  by  the  in- 
strument without  the  voices,  including  preludes,  interludes, 
and  postludes,  i.  e.,  strains  iefore,  in  the  midst,  and  at  the  end 
of  psalmody  and  other  Church  music. 

Synod.     A  term  synonymous  with  Council,  which  See. 

Synodals.  In  the  ancient  Church,  the  Provincial  Consti- 
tutions and  Canons,  which  were  framed  in  synods,  were 
publicly  read  in  the  parish  churches  on  Sundays,  and  were 
called  by  the  name  of  Synodals, 


T. 

Table,  Communion.     See  Altar. 

Tables.  The  tables  immediately  preceding  the  Order  of 
Morning  Prayer,  in  the  Prayer-book,  are  1st,  For  the  finding 
of  the  lessons  of  Scripture  for  Sundays,  Holy-days,  and  the 
ordinary  days  throughout  the  year.  2d,  Tables  of  the  Festi- 
vals and  Fasts  appointed  by  this  Church.  3d,  Tables  for  the 
finding  of  Easter  in  any  year,  and  the  Holy-days  depending 
on  it,  to  the  year  2199  inclusive.  The  necessity  and  useful- 
ness of  all  these,  arises  from  the  appointment  by  the  Church 
of  a  system  of  holy- days  with  appropriate  services,  embracing 
the  entire  circuit  of  the  year,  and  commemorative  of  the 


TED  447 

principal  events  in  the  gospel  history.  The  times  of  many 
of  these  are  determined  by  the  revolution  of  the  celestial  bo- 
dies, and  require  the  above  tables  for  their  correct  adjust- 
ment. The  tables  of  lessons  are  so  framed,  that  in  the  ordi- 
nary course,  nearly  the  entire  Bible  is  once  read  every  year. 
On  the  Sundays  and  holy-days,  proper  lessons  are  appointed 
corresponding  with  the  special  design  of  those  days. 

Te  Deum  laudamus.  ("  We  praise  thee,  O  God,"  &c.) 
A  hymn  glowing  with  holy  thought,  and  expressed  in  lan- 
guage worthy  of  a  seraph.  It  occurs  in  the  morning  ser- 
vice immediately  after  the  first  lesson.  It  was  a  custom  of 
the  primitive  Church  to  follow  the  reading  of  God's  holy 
word,  with  songs  of  thanksgiving.  Some  of  these  were 
taken  from  Scripture,  and  others  were  of  human  composition. 
In  the  latter  class  stands  the  Te  Deum,  a  hymn  said  to  have 
been  written  by  St.  Ambrose,  though  this  has  been  disputed. 
It  is  certain,  however,  that  its  use  in  the  Church  can  be 
traced  up  to  the  middle  of  the  sixth  century.  "In  two  an- 
cient MSS.,  an  old  collection  of  Hymns  and  an  old  Psalter, 
Archbishop  Usher  found  Te  Deum  ascribed  to  St.  Nicetius, 
Bishop  of  Triers,  who,  as  Stillingfleet,  Cave,  and  the  learned 
in  general  think,  composed  this  hymn  for  the  use  of  the  Gal- 
lican  Church,  He  flourished  about  A.  D.,  535,  nearly  100 
years  after  the  death  of  St.  Ambrose.  From  this  period  the 
hymn  is  often  mentioned,  and  the  use  of  it  is  repeatedly 
prescribed."  The  Episcopal  Church  loves  antiquity,  because 
antiquity  is  impressed  with  the  footsteps  of  her  great  Bishop 
and  Shepherd,  and  these  she  delights  to  discover  and  con- 
template ;  and  she  loves  antiquity  too,  because  to  revert  to  it, 
is  but  to  unroll  the  record  of  her  own  genealogy,  and  to  be- 
hold  her  own  noble  pedigree,  and  to  find  that  her  children 
are  all  the  fruit  of  the  truest  spiritual  wedlock.  Honored 
may  she  be,  that  in  her  young  days  she  learned  to  give  thanks 
to  God,  and  say,  Te  Deum  laudamus!  "The  hymn  itself" 
says  one  "is  rational  and  majestic,  and  in  all  particulars 


448  TE    DEUM. 

worthy  of  the  spouse  of  Christ ;  being  above  all  the  compo- 
sures of  men  uninspired,  fittest  for  the  tongues  of  men  and 
angels."  "Indeed/-  says  another,  "the  composition  alone 
is  human,  the  materials  are  of  divine  composition."  But, 
asks  the  objector,  was  it  not  gendered  in  the  dark  ages,  and 
amid  the  wild  revelry  of  superstition?  Friendly  reader,  be 
not  deluded  by  names,  and  carried  away  by  arbitrary  asso- 
ciations, nurtured  in  prejudice.  There  were  J'  bright  beams 
of  light "  irradiating  the  Church  at  that  period  ;  and  there 
were  giants  in  those  portentous  days,  able  and  willing  to  take 
unto  them  "the  whole  armour  of  God."  Very  true,  the 
cloud  was  up,  high  above  the  horizon,  and  was  rolling  on 
apace  to  enshroud  in  darkness  the  city  of  our  God.  And  we 
therefore  admire  the  more  the  tongue  that  could  then  chant 
a  song  so  saint-like  and  so  holy.  Call  it  a  jewel  brought 
from  the  cavern-depth  ;  or  a  meteor  lit  up  in  the  gloom  ; — it 
suffers  not ;  for  it  adorns  and  illumes  the  character  of  Him 
who  is  Head  over  all  things  to  the  Chui'ch — it  discourses  of 
One  who  is  the  "chief  among  ten  thousand," — it  heralds-in 
the  "  King  of  Glory," — the  "  everlasting  Son  of  the  Father," 
whom  day  by  day  we  love  to  magnify,  and  whose  name  we 
hope  to  worship  "ever,  world  without  end." 

The  Te  Deura  is  a  methodical  hymn,  and  embraces  in  its 
scope  three  particulars.  Its  analysis  is  thus  given  by  Dean 
Comber. 

"  I.  An  act  of  praise  ofiered  to  God  by  us,  and  by  all  crea- 
tures as  well  in  earth  as  in  heaven  ;  particularly  the  angels, 
and  the  saints  who  are  there,  join  with  us. 

"  II.  A  confession  of  faith  ;  declaring  the  general  consent 
unto  it,  and  the  particulars  of  it ;  namely,  concerning  every 
Person  in  the  Trinity,  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost ;  and 
more  largely  concerning  the  Son,  as  to  his  divinity,  his  hu- 
manity, and  particularly  his  incarnation  ;  his  death  ;  his  pre- 
sent glory  ;  and  his  return  to  judgment. 

"III.    A  supplication  grounded  upon  it;    1,  for  all  his 


TER  449 

people,  that  they  may  be  preserved  here,  and  saved  here- 
after ;  2,  for  ourselves  who  daily  praise  him,  that  we  may  be 
kept  from  future  sin,  and  be  pardoned  for  what  is  past,  be- 
cause we  trust  in  him." 

In  the  review  of  the  Prayer-book  by  the  American  Gene- 
ral Convention,  a  few  alterations  were  made  in  the  phrase- 
ology of  this  hymn,  and  some  antiquated  terms  removed. 
The  punctuation  also  has  been  changed  ;  being  in  the  Amer- 
ican Prayer-book  grammatical,  but  in  the  English,  musical. 
See  Pointed. 

Temple.  In  the  Bible,  this  title  generally  refers  to  that 
house  of  prayer  which  Solomon  built  in  Jerusalem,  for  the 
honor  and  worship  of  God.  The  name  of  Temple  is  now 
properly  used  for  any  Church  or  place  of  worship  set  apart 
for  the  service  of  Almighty  God.  Thus,  the  services  of  the 
Church  are  frequently  introduced  by  the  words,  "  The  Lord 
is  in  his  holy  Temple ;  let  all  the  earth  keep  silence  before 
him."  Here,  by  the  word  "  temple,''^  allusion  is  made  to  the 
Church  in  which  we  have  met  together  to  offer  our  prayers 
and  praises  to  the  Most  High. 

Temporal.     Temporals.     See  Spiritual. 

Temporalities.  The  estate,  possessions,  revenues,  and 
property  belonging  to  a  Church.  In  its  more  ordinary  use, 
the  term  indicates  those  portions  of  the  temporal  revenues 
of  the  Church,  which  belong  to  the  income  of  the  minister. 
In  this  sense  it  is  used  in  the  "  Office  of  Institution  of  Min- 
isters," "  —  we  authorize  you  to  claim  and  enjoy  all  the  ac- 
customed temporalities  appertaining  to  your  cure,"  &c. 

"Tender."  In  the  Exhortation  to  Prisoners  under  sen- 
tence of  death,  this  word  is  used  in  its  obsolete  sense,  thus, 
"  repent  you  truly  of  your  sins,  as  you  tender  the  eternal  sal- 
vation  of  your  soul," — that  is,  as  you  affectionately  regard 
and  value  the  eternal  salvation  of  your  soul." 

Tersanctus.  Thrice  holy.  The  Latin  title  of  the  hymn 
38* 


450  THO 

in  the  Communion  service,  beginning  "  Therefore  with  an- 
gels  and  archangels,"  &c.     See  Trisagion. 

Thanksgiving  bay,  Form  for.  "In  addition  to  her  other 
holy-days,  our  Church  appoints  the  first  Thursday  in  Novem- 
ber,  (or  if  any  other  day  be  appointed  by  civil  authority, 
then  such  day)  to  be  observed  as  a  day  of  thanksgiving  to 
Almighty  God  for  the  fruits  of  the  earth,  and  all  other  bless- 
ings  of  his  merciful  providence  ;  and  prescribes  a  service 
for  the  day  admirably  calculated  to  excite  gratitude  and  de- 
votion. Her  members  should  sacredly  observe  this  pious 
requisition — should  be  content,  in  obedience  to  her  call,  and 
in  gratitude  to  the  Giver  of  all  good,  to  lay  aside,  on  this  day, 
their  ordinary  occupations,  and  go  to  God's  house,  to  offer 
him  an  oblation  with  great  gladness,  and  to  bless  his  holy 
name  for  all  his  goodness  towards  them." 

Thirty-nine  Articles.     See  Articles  of  Religion. 

St.  Thomas's  day.  A  festival  kept  in  honor  of  the  memory 
of  St.  Thomas,  one  of  our  Lord's  twelve  disciples.  St. 
Thomas  was  surnamed  Didymus,  from  a  Greek  word  signify, 
ing  a  twin  ;  which  meaning  is  also  attached  to  the  Syriac 
word  Thauma,  whence  is  derived  his  name  Thomas.  It  was 
customary  with  the  Jews  when  travelling  into  foreign  coun- 
tries, or  familiarly  conversing  with  Greeks  and  Romans,  to 
assume  to  themselves  a  Greek,  or  a  Latin  name,  of  great 
affinity,  and  sometimes  of  the  very  same  signification  with 
that  of  their  own  country. 

The  lineage  of  St.  Thomas  is  not  recorded  in  Scripture. 
It  is  however  very  probable  that  he  was  by  nation  a  Galilean, 
and  it  is  certain  that  he  was  by  profession  a  fisherman,  and 
for  some  time  partner  with  Peter. 

"  The  most  remarkable  event  recorded  of  him  in  Scripture, 
is  his  sudden  conviction  of  the  truth  of  our  Lord's  resurrec- 
tion,  after  expressing  the  most  obstinate  incredulity.  What 
Jesus   said   to  St.   Thomas   on  this  interesting  occasion — • 


TIT  451 

*  Blessed  are  they  that  have  not  seen,  and  yet  have  believed,' 
should  enforce  the  reasonableness  and  necessity  of  yielding 
assent  on  sufficient  testimony,  without  requiring  the  strongest 
possible.  And  the  impassioned  acknowledgment  of  the 
Apostle — '  My  Lord,  and  my  God  ' — should  remind  us  of  the 
divine  dignity  of  him  whose  advent  we  are  about  to  celebrate." 

The  sphere  of  his  apostolic  labors  was  chiefly  in  Parthia. 
He  declared  Christ  to  the  Modes  and  Persians  ;  and  we  learn 
from  Gregory  Nazianzen,  that  he  travelled  as  far  as  India. 
St.  Chrysostom  also  intimates  his  preaching  in  Ethiopia.  He 
finally  suffered  martyrdom  in  India  through  the  hostility  of 
the  Brahmins,  who  excited  the  people  and  the  soldiery  to 
take  his  life. 

Throne.  In  a  Cathedral  Church,  a  name  given  to  the 
pulpit  or  elevated  place,  reserved  for  the  use  of  the  Bishop. 

Tithe,  or  Tythe.  In  the  Church  of  England,  a  tenth 
part  of  the  profits  accruing  from  the  produce  of  estates,  ap« 
plied  to  the  maintenance  of  the  Clergy.  The  system  of 
tithes  being  unknown  in  the  American  Church,  little  need 
here  be  said  concerning  them,  except  in  the  way  of  removing 
an  objection  frequently  made  against  the  English  Church » 
and  reflected  from  that  to  the  prejudice  of  our  own.  The 
alleged  injustice  of  exacting  tithes,  (in  England,)  from  per- 
sons  who  are  on  principle  opposed  to  the  established  Church, 
can  only  be  urged  by  those  who  lose  sight  of  the  origin  of 
this  mode  of  clerical  maintenance.  Originally,  the  proprie- 
tors  of  estates,  or  lords  of  the  manors,  generally  built  at  their 
own  cost  the  parish  churches  in  their  neighbourhood ;  and 
for  the  support  of  the  clergy,  and  other  purposes  of  a  religious 
nature,  instead  of  granting  a  pecuniary  stipend,  they  allotted 
a  tenth  part  of  the  produce  of  their  estates.  "  Tithes  were 
originally  given,"  says  a  writer,  "not  only  to  support  the 
clergy,  but  also  to  keep  the  churches  in  repair,  and  to  main- 
tain the  poor  ;  and  for  many  hundred  years  they  were  faith- 
fully applied  to  all  these  purposes ;  at  last  however,  in  the 


452  TIT 

reign  of  Henry  VIII.,  a  large  portion  of  the  tithes,  and 
other  property  which  had  been  taken  from  the  parochial  clergy 
by  the  religious  houses  or  monasteries,  was  on  the  suppression 
of  those  monasteries,  not  restored  to  the  parochial  clergy,  but 
given  away  to  noblemen  and  others  of  the  laity.  Thus,  as 
the  clergy  lost  for  ever  a  great  proportion  of  their  property,  it 
would  have  been  manifestly  unjust  to  make  them  support  all 
the  poor,  and  repair  the  churches  at  their  sole  cost,  as  they  did 
originally.  In  consequence,  the  law  has  since  established  the 
rule,  that  the  owner  of  the  tithes  shall  keep  the  chancel  of  the 
church  in  repair,  instead  of  the  whole  church ;  and  that  he 
shall  support  a  part  of  the  poor,  or  in  other  words,  pay  poor- 
rate  on  his  tithes,  in  the  proportion  which  his  tithe  property 
bears  to  the  other  property  of  the  parish.  The  right  of  the 
clergy  therefore,  (and  other  tithe-holdeis,)  is  as  ancient,  and  as 
well-founded  in  law,  and  in  custom,  as  the  right  to  any  proper- 
ty in  the  kingdom  ;  and  the  payment  of  tithes  is,  in  reality,  a 
deduction,  not  from  the  wages  of  the  poor  laborer,  or  from  the 
just  profits  of  the  farmer,  but  from  the  rent  of  the  landed  pro- 
prietor ;  and  in  consequence,  it  is  most  inconsistent  with  com- 
mon honesty  to  represent  the  clergy,  because  they  possess  prop- 
erty of  this  description,  as  invading  the  fair  profits  of  the 
farmers,  or  keeping  down  the  wages  of  the  industrious  poor." 
Title.  A  term  importing  any  Church  or  place  where  a 
Clergyman  is  appointed  to  exercise  his  functions.  From  a 
very  early  period  Bishops  have  been  restricted  from  ordain- 
ing persons  at  large,  i.  e.,  without  possessing  a  determinate 
sphere  of  labor.  Thus  the  6th  Canon  of  Chalcedon,  A.  D. 
451,  ordains  "That  no  one  be  ordained  either  Priest,  or 
Deacon,  or  to  any  ecclesiastical  Order  at  all  at  large,  but  be 
particularly  assigned,  when  ordained,  to  the  Church  of  some 
city,  or  village,  &c. ;  and  the  holy  Synod  hath  determined, 
that  the  ordination  of  those  who  are  ordained  at  large,  be  null, 
and  that  they  may  no  where  be  capable  of  officiating,"  &c. 
In  agreement  with  this  practice,  the  33d  Canon  of  the  Church 


TRA  453 

of  England,  headed  •'  The  Titles  of  such  as  are  to  be  made 
Ministers,"  begins  thus,  "  It  hath  been  long  since  provided  by 
many  decrees  of  the  ancient  Fathers,  that  none  should  be  ad- 
mitted either  Deacon  or  Priest,  who  had  not  first  some  certain 
place  where  he  might  use  his  function.  According  to  which 
examples,  we  do  ordain,  that  henceforth  no  person  shall  be  ad- 
mitted into  Sacred  Orders,  except  he  shall  at  that  time  exhibit 
to  the  Bishop,  of  whom  hedesireth  imposition  of  hands,  a  Pre- 
sentation of  himself  to  some  Ecclesiastical  Preferment  then 
void  in  that  Diocese,"  &c.  In  the  American  Church,  the  re- 
striction only  concerns  those  who  apply  for  Priest's  Orders. 
See  Canon  XIX.  of  the  General  Convention. 

Tradition.  That  which  has  been  delivered  or  handed 
down  from  one  age  to  another.  In  the  Church,  it  refers  to 
customs,  forms,  rites,  ceremonies,  &c.,  which  have  been  trans- 
mitted by  oral  communication.  The  term  as  used  in  Article 
XXXIV.,  is  not  to  be  understood  as  including  matters  of  faith, 
said  by  the  Church  of  Rome  to  have  been  delivered  by  the 
Apostles,  and  from  them  preserved  to  the  present  day.  The 
traditions  for  which  the  Article  requires  respect  and  obedience, 
are  all  those  customs  and  ceremonies  in  established  use,  which 
are  not  expressly  named  in  the  Scriptures,  nor  in  the  written 
laws  or  rubrics  of  the  Church,  but  stand  simply  on  the  ground 
of  prescription.  Among  these  may  be  mentioned  the  alter- 
nate mode  of  reading  the  Psalter, — the  custom  of  bowing  in 
the  Creed, — the  postures  in  various  offices  of  the  Church, — 
the  use  of  a  doxology  and  collects  after  sermon, — the  practice 
of  pouring  the  baptismal  water  on  the  head, — the  quantity  of 
the  elements  consumed  in  the  Eucharist,  &c.  &c.  These, 
though  unwritten,  are  not  the  less  obligatory  when  ascertained 
to  be  standing  customs  of  the  Church.  The  Article  ordains 
that,  "  Whosoever,  through  his  private  judgment,  willingly 
and  purposely  doth  cpenly  break  the  Traditions  and  Ceremo- 
nies of  the  Church,  which  be  not  repugnant  to  the  word  of  God, 
and  be  ordained  and  approved  by  common  authority,  ought  to 


454  TRA 

be  rebuked  openly  (that  other  may  fear  to  do  the  like)  as  he 
that  offendeth  against  the  common  Order  of  the  Church,"  &c. 

Transept.  The  ground  plan  of  Cathedrals  and  other 
principal  Churches,  was  that  of  a  cross,  the  shorter  arms  of 
which,  or  the  transverse  portion,  constitute  what  is  called  the 
transepts. 

"Transitory  promises."  See  Article  VII. ;  the  design 
of  which  is,  to  assert  the  perfect  doctrinal  harmony  existing 
between  the  Old  and  New  Testaments.  There  have  not  been 
wanting  those  who,  under  pretence  of  a  supreme  reverence  for 
the  writings  of  the  Apostles  and  Evangelists,  have  set  a  light- 
er value  on  the  older  portions  of  revelation,  viewing  them  as 
temporary  and  imperfect  illustrations  of  the  designs  of  God  in 
the  salvation  of  men  ;  and  consequently,  that  the  saints  under 
the  Jewish  dispensation  regarded  the  promises  of  God,  not  in 
their  true  spiritual  sense,  but  as  confined  to  temporal  blessings 
only  ;  such  for  example,  as  the  eventual  possession  of  the  land 
of  Canaan,  and  the  prosperity  which  should  follow  the  triumphs 
of  the  expected  Messiah.  Hence  the  Article  declares,  that, 
so  far  from  this  being  true,  everlasting  life  is  offered  to  man- 
kind by  Christ,  both  in  the  Old  and  New  Testament,  he  being 
the  only  Mediator  between  God  and  man;  and  therefore, 
"  they  are  not  to  be  heard,  which  feign,  that  the  Old  Fathers 
[ancient  saints  under  the  patriarchal  and  Jewish  dispensations] 
did  look  only  for  transitory  promises"  i.  e.,  for  promises  re- 
lating only  to  temporal  blessings. 

Translation.  In  the  Church  of  England,  the  removal 
of  a  Bishop  from  the  charge  of  one  Diocese  to  that  of  another, 
— in  which  case,  the  Bishop  in  his  attestations,  writes  anno 
translationis  nostra,  not  anno  consecrationis  nostrce.  Also, 
in  literature,  the  rendering  of  a  work  from  the  original  into 
another  language.  The  scriptural  portions  of  the  Prayer- 
book,  are  not  all  derived  from  the  translation  in  common  use. 
For  example,  the  Psalter  is  from  the  great  English  Bible,  set 
forth  and  used  in  the  time  of  Henry  VIII.,  and  Edward  VI. 


TRi  455 

The  sentences  in  the  Offertory  and  occasional  verses  in 
other  parts  of  the  Communion  Office  will  be  found  to  vary  in 
languag-e  from  the  authorized  version,  being  derived  from  the 
•'  Bishop's  Bible,"  in  use  when  the  office  was  framed. 

Transubstantiation.  Tn  the  Romish  Church,  the  doc- 
trine of  the  change  of  the  elements  in  the  Lord's  Supper  into 
the  real  body  and  blood  of  Christ.  This  is  presumed  to  take 
place  in  an  inscrutable  manner,  in  the  act  of  consecration,  or 
at  the  uttering  of  the  Scripture  words  in  the  Mass,  "This  is 
my  body,"  and  "This  is  my  blood."  Against  this  the  Epis- 
copal Church  protests,  on  the  ground  that  it  is  not  legitimately 
deducible  from  Scripture, — that  it  is  contradictory  to  the  evi- 
dence of  the  senses, — that  it  involves  absurdities  of  the  most 
extravagant  nature,  and  subverts  the  design  of  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per as  a  commemorative  ordinance. 

Trinity  Sunday.  On  this  day  the  Church  particularly 
celebrates  the  great  doctrine,  that  we  worship  three  Persons, 
but  one  God.  "  May  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
the  love  of  God,  and  the  fellowship  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  be  with 
us  all  evermore.     Amen.^^     2  Cor.  xiii.  14. 

"  This  festival  is  not  of  so  ancient  a  date  as  the  rest  of  the 
great  feasts  of  the  year.  As  the  praises  of  the  Trinity  were 
every  day  celebrated  in  the  doxoJogy,  hymns,  and  creeds,  the 
Church  thought  there  was  no  necessity  to  set  apart  one  partic- 
ular day  for  that  which  was  done  on  each.  But  afterwards, 
when  the  Arians,  and  such  like  heretics,  were  spread  abroad 
over  the  world,  and  had  vented  their  blasphemies  against  this 
divine  mystery,  the  wisdom  of  the  Church  thought  it  conven- 
ient, that  notwithstanding  the  blessed  Trinity  was  daily  com- 
memorated in  the  public  offices  of  devotion  ;  yet  it  should  be 
the  more  solemn  subject  of  one  particular  day's  meditation. 

"  The  reason  why  this  day  was  chosen  as  most  seasonable 
for  this  solemnity,  was,  because  our  Lord  had  no  sooner  as- 
cended into  heaven,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  descended  upon  the 


456  TRi 

Church,  but  there  ensued  the  full  knowledg-e  of  the  glorious 
and  incomprehensible  Trinity,  which  before  that  time  was  not 
so  clearly  known. 

"  The  Church  therefore  having  devoted  several  foregoing 
solemn  festivals  to  the  honor  of  each  several  person  by  him- 
self, thereby  celebrating  the  unity  in  Trinity,  it  was  thought 
highly  seasonable  to  conclude  those  solemnities,  by  adding  to 
them  one  festival  more  to  the  honor  and  glory  of  the  whole 
Trinity  together,  therein  celebrating  the  Trinity  in  unity." 

Trisagion,  Trisagium,  Tersanctus,  or  Seraphic  hymn. 
The  hymn  in  the  Communion  Office,  beginning,  "  Therefore 
with  angels  and  archangels,"  &c.  This  celebrated  anthem  is 
probably  the  most  ancient  and  universally  received  of  all 
Christian  songs  of  praise.  Its  position  in  the  established  litur- 
gies has  always  been,  (as  in  the  Prayer-book,)  a  little  antece- 
dent to  the  prayer  of  consecration ;  and  the  hymn  itself  does 
not  appear  in  any  other  Office  than  that  of  the  communion. 
The  antiquity  of  the  Tersanctus,  and  its  prevalence  in  the  litur- 
gies of  the  Eastern  and  Western  Churches,  naturally  lead  to 
the  conclusion  that  it  was  derived  from  the  apostolic  age,  if 
not  from  the  Apostles  themselves.  It  is  remarked  by  Palmer, 
that  no  liturgy  can  be  traced  in  antiquity,  in  which  the  people 
did  not  unite  with  the  invisible  host  of  heaven  in  chanting 
these  sublime  praises  of  the  most  high  God.  From  the  testi- 
mony of  Chrysostom  and  Cyril  of  Jerusalem,  we  find  that  the 
seraphic  hymn  was  used  in  the  liturgy  of  Antioch  and  Jeru- 
salem in  the  fourth  century.  The  Apostolical  Constitutions 
enable  us  to  carry  it  back  to  the  third  century  in  the  East.  It 
is  also  spoken  of  by  Gregory  Nyssen,  Cyril  of  Alexandria, 
Origen,  Hilary  of  Poictiers,  Isidore,  and  other  Fathers,  as 
having  formed  a  part  of  the  liturgy.  In  the  liturgy  of  Milan 
it  has  been  used  from  time  immemorial,  under  the  name  of 
Trisagium;  and  in  Africa,  we  learn  from  Tertullian  that  it 
was  customary  in  the  second  century.     Thus  it  appears  that 


TWE  457 

this  hymn  was  universally  prevalent  in  the  Christian  liturgies, 
from  the  very  earliest  period.* 

The  Trisagium  properly  commences  at  the  words  "  Holy, 
holy,  holy,"  &c ,  from  which  the  name  is  derived.  The  por- 
tion preceding  this,  is  rather  a  preface  or  introduction  than  a 
part  of  the  hymn  itself,  though  by  custom,  the  whole  is  now 
repeated  as  an  act  of  praise. 

"  Troth."  This  word  occurs  in  the  Prayer-hook,  only  in 
the  Marriage  Service,  thus :  "  and  thereto  I  plight  thee  my 
troth ;"  that  is,  "  thereto  I  most  solemnly  pledge  thee  my  truth 
and  sincerity. ^^  Near  the  end  of  the  same  service,  the  Min- 
ister says,  that  the  persons  now  married,  have  "  pledged  their 
troth,  each  to  the  other,"  or  in  other  words,  have  promised,  in 
the  presence  of  God,  to  be  true  ^nd.  faithful  to  each  other, 
and  that  they  have  been  honest  and  sincere  in  the  solemn  con- 
tract just  made. 

"Truth  of  our  nature."  See  the  15th  Article. 
"  Christ  in  the  truth  of  our  nature,  was  made  like  unto  us  in 
all  things,  sin  only  except,"  &c.,  i.  e.,  in  assuming  our  nature, 
he  became  truly  and  really  all  that  is  understood  in  the  idea 
of  humanity,  sin  excepted  ;  having  a  human  body  and  a 
reasonable  human  soul,  and  in  union  with  these,  that  other 
and  superior  nature  which  characterized  him  as  possessing 
"all  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead,  hodily.^^ 

Twelfth  day.  The  festival  of  Epiphany,  being  the 
twelfth  day  after  Christmas. 

Twelfth  day  of  the  month.  In  the  Evening  service  it  is 
directed,  that  on  the  twelfth  day  of  any  month,  the  hymn  after 
the  second  lesson,  beginning,  '-  God  be  merciful  unto  us," 
&c.,  is  not  to  be  used  as  on  other  days.  The  reason  is, 
because  it  comes  in  the  regular  Psalms  for  the  day,  and  would 
thus  occasion  an  unnecessary  and  useless  repetition. 


*  Origines  Liturgicie,  I.  p.  126, 
39 


458 


tJ. 

Unbaptized  adults.  For  the  reasons  why  the  Burial 
Service  is  not  to  be  read  over  these,  See  Burial  service. 

"  Unhallowed  uses."  In  the  consecration  of  a  Church 
or  Chapel,  the  building  is  said  to  be  separated  henceforth 
"from  all  unhallowed,  ordinary  and  common  uses."  The 
word  "  unhallowed,"  as  here  used,  does  not  mean  simply 
such  things  as  are  morally  evil,  impure,  and  contrary  to  the 
spirit  of  religion,  which  is  the  popular  sense,  but  strictly  all 
such  as  are  not  hallowed,  made  sacred,  and  consecrated  to 
holy  purposes.  This  is  a  broader  meaning  than  the  former,  of 
which  it  is  inclusive,  and  the  same  sense  is  further  carried  out 
in  the  words  "  ordinary  and  common." 

Uninterrupted  succession.  The  doctrine  of  a  regular 
tind  continued  transmission  of  ministerial  authority,  in  the 
succession  of  Bishops,  from  the  Apostles  to  any  subsequent 
period.  To  understand  this,  it  is  necessary  to  premise,  that 
the  powers  of  the  ministry  can  only  come  from  one  source — • 
the  great  Head  of  the  Church.  By  his  immediate  act  the 
Apostles  or  first  Bishops  were  constituted,  and  they  were 
empowered  to  send  others,  as  he  had  sent  them.  Here  then 
was  created  the  first  link  of  a  chain,  which  was  destined  to 
reach  from  Christ's  ascension  to  his  second  coming  to  judge 
the  world.  And  as  the  ordaining  power  was  confined  ex- 
clusively to  the  Apostles,  (See  Episcopacy)  no  other  men  or 
ministers  could  possibly  exercise  it, — from  them  alone  was 
to  be  obtained  the  authority  to  feed  and  govern  the  Church 
of  all  the  future.  By  the  labors  of  the  Apostles,  the  Church 
rapidly  spread  through  the  then  known  world,  and  with  this 
there  grew  up  a  demand  for  an  increase  of  pastors.  Accord- 
ingly, the  Apostles  ordained  elders  or  presbyters  in  all  the 
churches ;  but  the  powers  given  to  these  terminated  in  them- 
selves,— they  could  not  communicate  them  to  others.  A  few 
therefore  were  consecrated  to  the  same   rank  held  by  the 


UNINTERRUPTED    SUCCESSION.  459 

Apostles  themselves,  and  to  these  the  full  authority  of  the 
Christian  ministry  was  committed,  qualifying  them  to  ordain 
deacons  and  presbyters,  and,  when  necessary,  to  impart  their 
full  commission  to  others.  Here  was  the  second  link  of  the 
chain.  For  example  ;  Paul,  and  the  other  Apostolic  Bishops, 
were  the  first.  Timothy,  Titus,  and  others,  who  succeeded 
to  the  same  ministerial  powers,  formed  the  second.  A  third 
series  of  Bishops  were  in  like  manner  ordained  by  the  se- 
cond, as  time  advanced,  and  a  fourth  series  by  the  third. 
And  here  the  reader  will  perceive  what  is  meant  by  unin- 
terrupted succession,  viz.,  a  perfect  and  unbroken  trans- 
mission of  the  original  ministerial  commission  from  the 
Apostles  to  their  successors,  by  the  progressive  and  perpetual 
conveyance  of  their  powers  from  one  race  of  Bishops  to 
another.  The  process  thus  established,  was  faithfully  carried 
on  in  every  branch  of  the  universal  Church,  And  as  the 
validity  of  the  ministry  depended  altogether  on  the  legitimacy 
of  its  derivation  from  the  Apostles,  infinite  care  was  taken 
in  the  consecration  of  Bishops,  to  see  that  the  ecclesiastical 
pedigree  of  their  consecrators  was  regular  and  indisputable. 
In  case  that  any  broke  in  upon  the  apostolical  succession,  by 
"  climbing  up  some  other  way,"  they  were  instantly  deposed, 
"  A  great  part  of  the  ancient  Canons  were  made  for  regula- 
ting ordinations,  especially  those  of  Bishops,  by  providing 
that  none  should  be  ordained,  except  in  extraordinary  cases, 
by  less  than  three  Bishops  of  the  same  province  ;  that  strange 
Bishops  should  not  be  admitted  to  join  with  those  of  the  pro- 
vince on  such  occasions,  but  those  only  Avho  were  neighbors 
and  well  known,  and  the  validity  of  whose  orders  Avas  not 
disputed."  The  care  thus  taken  in  the  early  ages  to  pre- 
serve inviolate  the  succession  from  the  Apostles,  has  been 
maintained  in  all  Churches  Episcopally  constituted,  down  to 
the  present  day.  There  are  in  existence,  catalogues  of  Bish- 
ops from  the  year  1839  back  to  the  day  of  Pentecost.  These 
catalogues  are  proofs  of  the  importance  always  attached  by 


460  UNI 

the  Church  to  a  regular  genealogy  in  her  Bishops.  And 
they,  as  well  as  the  living  Bishops  themselves,  are  proofs  of 
the  reality  of  an  apostolical  succession.  It  has  been  well  re- 
marked, that  "  Christ  Jesus  has  taken  more  abundant  care  to 
ascertain  the  succession  of  pastors  in  his  Church,  than  ever  was 
taken  in  relation  to  the  Aaronical  priesthood.  For  in  this 
case,  the  succession  is  transmitted  from  seniors  to  juniors,  by 
the  most  public  and  solemn  action,  or  rather  process  of  actions, 
that  is  ever  performed  in  a  Christian  Church;  an  action  done 
in  the  face  of  the  sun,  and  attested  by  great  numbers  of  the  most 
authentic  witnesses,  as  consecrations  always  were.  And  I 
suppose  it  cannot  bear  any  dispute,  but  that  it  is  now  more 
easily  to  be  proved  that  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  was 
canonically  ordained,  than  that  any  person  now  living  is  the 
son  of  him  who  is  called  his  father;  and  that  the  same  might 
have  been  said  of  any  Archbishop  or  Bishop  that  ever  sat  in 
that  or  any  other  Episcopal  See  during  the  time  of  his  being 
Bishop." 

Such  then  is  uninterrupted  succession;  a  fact  to  which 
every  Bishop,  priest,  and  deacon,  in  the  wide  world,  looks,  as 
the  ground  of  validity  in  his  orders.  Without  this,  all  distinction 
between  a  clergyman  and  a  layman  is  utterly  vain,  for  no  se- 
curity exists  that  heaven  will  ratify  the  acts  of  an  illegally 
constituted  minister  on  earth.  Without  it,  ordination  confers 
none  but  humanly  derived  powers  ;  and  what  those  are  worth, 
the  reader  may  estimate  when  we  tell  him,  that,  on  proof  of  a 
real  fracture  in  the  line  of  transmission  between  the  first  Bish- 
ops  of  the  American  Church  and  the  inspired  Apostles,  the 
present  Bishops  will  freely  acknowledge  themselves  to  be 
mere  laymen,  and  humbly  retire  from  their  posts. 

Unity.  Unity  is  one  of  the  prominent  characteristics  of 
the  Church  of  Christ;  and  the  maintenance  of  it,  one  of  the 
most  imperative  duties  of  all  who  belong  to  that  Church. 
That  the  Church  is  one  body, — one  holy  temple, — one  spiritu- 
al kingdom,  we  have  already  shown  in  a  former  article  ;  (See 


UNITY.  ^  46 1 

Schism,)  and  it  is  unnecessary  here  to  repeat  what  has  been 
said  under  that  head. 

The  grround  of  unity  lies  in  an  universal  consent  to  the 
same  faith  and  ministerial  order,  together  with  a  submission 
to  the  general  discipline  of  the  Church.  So  far  as  the  New 
Testament  history  extends,  we  find  that  unity  in  these  was 
most  scrupulously  maintained.  This  resulted  from  the  so- 
lemn importance  attached  to  it  by  the  Redeemer.  In  the 
Apostolical  Epistles,  exhortations  to  unity  abound  on  almost 
every  page,  and  these  not  delivered  in  a  cold  didactic  man- 
ner, but  with  remarkable  emphasis,  as  though  the  safety  of 
the  Church  and  the  hopes  of  all  Christians  were  identified 
with  it.  "Now  I  BESEECH  you  brethren,"  says  St.  Paul, 
"  hy  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  ye  all  speak  the 
same  thing  ;  and  that  there  be  no  divisions  among  you  ;  but 
that  ye  be  perfectly  joined  together  in  the  same  mind,  and 
in  the  same  judgment."  Again.  *'  Now  I  beseech  you 
brethren,  mark  them  lohich  cause  divisions  and  offences  con- 
trary to  the  doctrine  which  ye  have  learned ;  and  avoid 
them."  And  even  the  beloved  Apostle,  rouses  into  a  strain 
of  holy  indignation  against  those  who  interfered  with  the 
unity  of  the  Church,  commanding  all  not  to  receive  them 
into  their  houses,  neither  to  bid  them  "  God  speed,"  at  the 
risk  of  being  accounted  partakers  of  their  evil  deeds.  And 
when  we  turn  to  St.  Peter  and  St.  Jude,  and  witness  their 
vehement  and  scorching  accusations  of  these  enemies  of  the 
body  of  Christ,  we  can  only  explain  it  by  the  heinousness  of 
the  crime  committed,  and  the  fact  that  the  Apostles  spoke 
"  as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost."  The  Christians 
of  the  following  ages  followed  the  course  marked  out  for 
them  by  inspired  men.  Hence  the  Canons  of  the  Church 
Catholic  abound  with  regulations  respecting  unity ;  and  the 
writings  of  the  Fathers  are  full  of  exhortations  to  the  same 
eifcct.  Sectarianism  had  no  shelter,  but  was  frowned  upon 
as  a  fearful  crime.      All  branches  of  the  Church  were  in 

39*    - 


462  UNITY. 

communion  with  eacli  other.  Every  clergyman  was  a  min- 
ister  of  the  Church  universal.  Every  member  of  the  Church 
was  entitled  to  his  privileges,  in  whatever  quarter  of  the  world 
he  might  travel.  See  Communion,  Church.  This  was  evi- 
dently what  Christ  intended,  and  what  his  gospel  inculcated. 
Why  then  has  unity  since  been  banished,  as  though  another 
gospel  had  been  revealed, — as  though  it  were  no  longer  in- 
cumbent on  Christians, — as  though  "  variance,  strife,  seditions 
and  heresies "  were  now  rather  fruits  of  the  Spirit  than 
works  of  the  flesh  ?  Three  hundred  years  ago,  sectarianism 
was  well-nigh  unknown.  The  Latin  and  Oriental  Churches, 
it  is  true,  had  long  been  sundered  ;  and  on  those  who  brought 
about  the  disaster  by  jealousy  and  contention,  let  the  blame 
rest.  Still,  what  hindered  the  reformed  from  maintaining 
"  the  unity  of  the  spirit,  in  the  bond  of  peace  ?"  The  Church 
of  England,  as  was  confessed  by  all  parties,  retained  the 
Apostolic  foundation,  in  the  struggle  with  her  desperate  foe. 
What  then  could  sanction  the  creation  of  rival  communions  1 
If  sTie  held  forth  the  gospel  in  its  integrity, — the  sa.craments 
in  their  purity, — the  ministry  with  its  divine  sanction,  and 
presented  within  her  fold  all  the  appointed  means  of  salva- 
tion ;  by  what  plea  could  disunion  be  vindicated  ?  Necessity 
was  alleged.  The  sight  of  a  robe  of  lawn  was  accounted  a 
just  excuse  for  schism.  A  thousand  little  points  of  ceremony, 
innocent  as  the  dew-drop,  were  so  many  reasons  why  there 
should  be  "  divisions  and  offences."  Here  dissent  took  its 
rise,  and  its  fruitful  consequences  may  now  be  known  and 
read  of  all  men.  What  has  been  gained  ?  No  good  but 
what  the  Church  was  qualified  to  give  in  fourfold  abundance. 
No  virtue  has  thriven  the  better ;  no  truth  has  shone 
brighter ;  and  no  consolation  has  soothed  the  wounded  spirit 
more  tenderly  than  under  the  nursiug  care  of  the  Church. 
And  what  is  the  prospect  ?  Let  the  intelligent  non-episco- 
palian  look  to  Germany  as  the  type,  with  Deism  (under  a 
softer  name)  stalking  into  its  pulpits.     Let  him  look  to  the 


YEN  463 

Unitarian  Churches  of  England,  most  of  them  originally  such 
as  Matthew  Henry's  was.  Let  him  turn  to  puritan  New- 
England,  and  inquire  the  pedigree  of  its  Socinianism,  Let 
him  take  up  the  startling  indications  which  have  been  given, 
of  an  importation  of  foreign  Rationalism  ;  and  then  judge 
whether  schism  does  not  contain  within  it  the  elements  of 
early  disease  and  mortality — a  liability  and  a  destiny  too 
awfully  corroborative  of  the  truth,  that  they  "  who  have  sown 
the  wind  shall  reap  the  whirlwind." 

Universal  Church.  The  Church  of  God  "throughout 
all  the  world," — or,  or  as  it  is  called  in  the  Nicene  Creed,  the 
"  one  Catholic  and  Apostolic  Church."  See  Church  and 
Catholic. 


Venite,  exultemus.  ("  O  come,  let  us  sing,"  &c.)  This 
is  the  noble  and  inspiring  anthem  which  stands  at  the  head 
of  the  morning  praises  of  the  Church.  The  place  which  it 
occupies  is  admirably  chosen.  The  people  have  just  been 
warned  to  "  repent,  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand," — 
and  that  "the  sacrifices  of  God  are  a  broken  spirit."  The 
exhortation  has  been  given  to  approach  "  with  a  pure  heart 
and  humble  voice,  unto  the  throne  of  the  heavenly  grace." 
The  penitent  confession  is  made.  The  pardoning  mercy  of 
God  is  proclaimed.  Consolation  is  poured  into  the  wounded 
heart  and  the  fountains  of  gratitude  overflow  with  praise. 
And  here,  while  the  aspirations  of  the  soul  are  fresh,  warm, 
and  vigorous,  the  Church,  in  all  "the  beauty  of  holiness," 
brings  forth  the  golden  lyre,  and  we  are  caught  up  in  spirit, 
as  it  were,  into  a  purer  firmament ;  and  in  strains  which  once 
nerved  the  souls  of  martyrs,  we  "  come  before  God's  pre- 


464  VER 

sence  witli  thanksgiving,  and  heartily  rejoice  in  the  strength 
of  our  salvation."  So  sung  the  Church  in  the  days  of  Basil 
and  Chrysostom.  So  sung  the  Church  when  Africa  bowed 
the  knee  with  her  Augustine.  And  so  did  the  Church  begin 
her  songs  in  her  youthful  days,  when  the  valiant  Ambrose 
"  marked  well  her  bulwarks," — and  fought  her  battles. 
They  are  gone ;  but  the  anthems  of  the  Church  remain, 
immortal  like  their  source ;  and  in  this,  as  in  many  a  divine 
Psalm,  the  voice  of  joy  is  sent  to  the  troubled  spirit, — the  in- 
vigorating  sound  of  praise  thrills  the  fainting  heart,  and 
David,  the  signally  blessed,  is  endeared  and  allied  to  us  as 
the  chief  musician  of  the  Christian  Israel, 

In  the  English  Prayer-book,  the  Venite  comprehends  the 
whole  of  the  ninety-fifth  Psalm.  But  the  latter  part  being 
considered  as  referring  chiefly  to  the  condition  of  the  Jews, 
has  been  omitted  in  the  American  revisal,  and  its  place  sup- 
plied by  two  verses  from  the  Psalm  following.  In  the  Form 
of  Prayer  for  the  Visitation  of  Prisoners,  and  in  that  for 
Thanksgiving-day,  a  substitute  is  provided,  to  be  used  instead 
qf  the  Yenite, 

Versicles.  Short  or  diminutive  verses,  said  alternately 
by  the  Minister  and  people  ;  such  for  example  as  the  fol- 
lowing :— 

3Iin,  O  Lord,  show  thy  mercy  upon  us  ; 

^.715.  And  grant  us  thy  salvation. 

Min.  O  God,  make  clean  our  hearts  within  us ; 

Ans,  And  take  not  thy  Holy  Spirit  from  us. 
"  Very."  Used  in  the  Prayer-book  and  in  theological 
writings,  in  the  sense  of  true,  real,  indisputable.  Thus,  in 
Article  II.  it  is  said,  "  The  Son,  which  is  the  Word  of  the 
Father  *  *  *  *  the  very  and  eternal  God,"  &c.  "  One 
Christ,  very  God,  and  very  man."  The  same  expression  oc- 
curs in  the  5th  j\rticle.  In  the  Nicene  Creed,  Christ  is  de- 
clared to  be  ^^very  God  of  very  God," — the  Son  being 
equally  true  God  with  the  Father,  of  whose  essence  or  sub- 


VES  465 

stance  he  partakes.  Latimer  says  in  one  of  his  sermons, 
"  Christ  giveth  everlasting  life,  ergo,  he  is  very  natural  [real] 
God."  *  "You  must  not  think  as  the  Arians  did,  who  said 
that  he  was  not  a  very  man,  nor  suffered  very  pains  upon  the 
cross."*  "  Believe  steadfastly  that  he  was  a  very  natural  man, 
sill  only  excepted."  * 

Vestments.  The  robes  and  other  ecclesiastical  garments 
worn  by  the  Clergy  when  performing  the  services  of  the 
Church.  See  Clerical  GARMENTS.  Also,  a  particular  gar- 
ment worn  over  the  Alb  in  the  Church  of  England,  at  the 
administration  of  the  holy  Communion.  This  was  originally 
in  the  form  of  a  coat  without  sleeves ;  but  was  afterwards 
enriched  with  embroidery,  &c.f 

Vestry.  In  every  duly  organized  Church  several  persons, 
called  collectively  the  "  Vestry,"  are  annually  appointed  to 
take  charge  of  such  things  as  concern  the  temporal  interests 
of  the  Church,  and  which  do  not  fall  within  the  compass  of 
the  Minister's  duty.  The  number  of  persons  composing  a 
Vestry,  varies  considerably  in  different  churches,  and  is  not 
subject  to  any  general  law  of  the  Church. 

Some  of  the  duties  of  the  Vestry  are,  to  invite  and  engage 
a  Minister  when  the  Church  is  vacant — to  make  provision 
for  the  regular  and  orderly  performance  of  divine  worship — 
to  take  charge  of  the  Church  property,  and  to  act  in  all  other 
matters  pertaining  to  the  temporal  concerns  of  the  Church. 

The  Vestry  meet  once  a  month,  or  at  any  other  time  they 
may  appoint,  for  the  transaction  of  business  in  relation  to  the 
Church.     This  is  called  a  "Vestry  meeting." 

Vestry.     See  Vestry-room. 

Vestry-man.  One  of  those  persons  constituting  the 
Vestry  of  a  Church.     See  Vestry. 

Vestry-room,  or  Vestry.    A  room  either  in  the  Church- 


♦  Sermon  on  the  Birth  of  Christ.  t  Wheatly. 


466  VIA 

building,  or  contiguous  to  it,  in  which  the  Vestry  hold  their 
meetings,  and  which  is  also  used  by  the  Clergyman  as  a  re- 
tiring room  in  which  to  robe  and  prepare  himself  for  the  ser- 
vices of  the  Church. 

Viaticum.  The  provision  made  for  a  journey.  Hence, 
in  the  ancient  Church,  both  baptism  and  the  eucharist  were 
called  Viatica,  "  because  they  were  equally  esteemed  men's 
necessary  provision  and  proper  armor,  both  to  sustain  and 
conduct  them  safe  on  their  way  in  their  passage  through  this 
world  to  eternal  life."*  The  administration  of  baptism  is 
thus  spoken  of  by  St.  Basil  and  Gregory  Nazianzen,  as  the 
"  giving  to  men  their  Viaticum,  or  provision  for  their  journey 
to  another  world;"  and  under  this  impression,  it  was  fre- 
quently delayed  till  the  hour  of  death,  being  esteemed  as  a 
final  security  and  safeguard  to  future  happiness.  More 
strictly,  however,  the  term  viaticum  denoted  the  eucharist 
given  to  persons  in  immediate  danger  of  death,  and  in  this 
sense  it  is  still  occasionally  used.  The  13th  Canon  of  the 
Nicene  Council,  ordains  that  none  "  be  deprived  of  his  per- 
fect and  most  necessary  viaticum,  when  he  departs  out  of  this 
life."  Several  other  canons  of  various  councils  are  to  the 
same  effect,  providing  also  for  the  giving  of  the  viaticum  un- 
der peculiar  circumstances,  as  to  persons  in  extreme  weak- 
ness, delirium,  or  subject  to  canonical  discipline. 

Though  the  Church,  in  her  benevolent  attention  to  her  sick 
members,  has  retained  the  practice  of  administering  to  them 
the  communion,  or  viaticum,  yet  it  is  not  to  be  inferred,  that 
she  attributes  to  this  an  absolute  saving  efficacy,  though  some 
have  superstitiously  deduced  this  from  the  literal  sense  of  the 
word.  The  holy  communion  is  indeed  the  most  comfortable 
ordinance  of  which  the  dying  penitent  can  partake  ;  but  its 
benefits  depend,  in  that  trying  hour,  on  the  existence  of  the 


Bingham,  III.  p.  122. 


VIS  467 

same  spiritual  qualifications  which  should  always  distinguish 
the  Christian  at  the  reception  of  these  "  holy  mysteries." 

Vicar.  In  the  Church  of  England,  "  one  who  has  a 
spiritual  promotion  or  living  under  the  parson,  [or  Rector,] 
and  is  so  denominated,  as  officiating  vice  ejus,  in  his  place 
or  stead." 

Vicarage.     The  benefice  or  situation  held  by  a  Vicar. 

Vigil.     See  Eve. 

"Violent  hands."  For  the  reasons  why  the  Burial  ser- 
vice is  not  to  be  read  over  those  who  have  laid  violent  hands 
on  themselves,  See  Burial  service. 

Virgin  Mary.  The  mother  of  our  Blessed  Redeemer. 
Among  the  saints,  a  distinguished  place  must  ever  be  assign- 
ed to  one  so  signally  favored  by  the  Most  High.  And  a 
devout  mind  will  not  scruple  to  venerate  the  memory  of  her, 
whose  life  was  made  illustrious  by  the  fulfilment  of  ancient 
prophecy — by  the  realization  of  the  promise  given  in  Eden, 
and  in  the  maternal  care  of  the  infancy  and  youth  of  the 
long-expected  Redeemer  of  the  world. 

In  memory  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  the  Church  observes  the 
two  festivals  of  the  Annunciation,  and  the  Purification,  both 
of  which  have  reference  also  to  our  Divine  Lord  himself.  In 
this  provision  of  the  Church,  two  errors  are  avoided.  1st. 
That  which  denies  to  the  Virgin  mother  the  respect  claimed 
for  her  in  Scripture,  and  which  has  always  been  shown  by 
the  Church  universal.  2d.  That  of  the  Romish  Church, 
which  by  prayers,  invocations,  litanies,  &c.,  exalts  her  to  a 
rank  scarcely  inferior  to  that  of  a  divine  Being. 

Visitation,  Episcopal.  An  official  visit  made  by  a  Bishop 
to  a  Church,  generally  for  the  purpose  of  administering  Con- 
firmation, Ordination,  and  Consecration,  and  for  performing 
such  other  duties  as  belong  to  the  Episcopal  Office.  In  the 
Church  of  England,  the  term  is  also  used  for  the  visit  of  the 
Archdeacon  to  his  district. 

Visitation  of  the  Sick,     In  the  appointment  of  a  form  to 


468  VISITATION. 

be  used  in  private  houses  in  behalf  of  the  sick,  the  Church 
makes  provision  for  carrying  out  the  inspired  command,  "  Is 
any  sick  among  you  ?  let  him  call  for  the  elders  of  the  Church, 
and  let  them  pray  over  him,  anointing  him  with  oil  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord ;  and  the  prayer  of  faith  shall  save  the 
sick,  and  the  Lord  shall  raise  him  up,  and  if  he  have  com- 
mitted sins,  they  shall  be  forgiven  him."  James  v.  14,  15, 
From  this,  as  well  as  from  the  benevolent  spirit  of  Chris- 
tianity, and  the  example  of  its  divine  author,  we  learn  that 
this  duty  "  is  not  barely  a  point  of  civility,  but  an  act  of  reli- 
gion, and  a  necessary  duty  which  God  requires  of  us  ;  *  *  * 
for  then  the  parties  have  most  need  of  comfort,  advice,  and 
prayers,  to  support  them  and  procure  help  for  them,  as  also 
to  prepare  them  for  their  last  and  great  account."* 

The  anointing  spoken  of  by  St.  James,  was  connected,  in 
the  apostolic  age,  with  the  miraculous  gift  of  healing,  and 
was  designed  for  the  benefit  of  the  hody,  while  the  prayers 
chiefly  contemplated  the  welfare  of  the  soul.  But  the  power 
of  miraculous  healing  having  ceased  in  the  Church,  the 
anointing  is  no  longer  continued, — the  sign  is  disused,  because 
the  thing  signified  is  taken  away.     See  Extreme  Unction. 

As  there  is  no  specific  form  provided  for  this  duty  by  in- 
spired authority,  the  Church  has  set  forth  an  office  suited  to 
the  occasion.  The  sources  from  which  this  office  has  been 
drawn,  arc  the  devotions  of  the  ancient  Church, — the  pious 
labors  of  the  framers  of  our  liturgy, — and,  in  the  American 
Prayer-book,  the  writings  of  Bishop  Jeremy  Taylor. 

It  has  been  a  question,  how  far  a  Clergyman  is  bound  to 
attend  on  the  sick  without  an  actual  invitation.  In  answer 
to  this,  tv/o  things  are  clear,  viz.,  that  by  the  precept  of  Scrip, 
ture,  if  any  one  be  sick,  he  is  to  ^^  send  for  the  elders  of  the 
Church" ;  and  again,  the  R,ubric  expressly  states,  that  "  When 
any  person  is  sick,  notice  shall  he  given  thereof  to  the  Min- 


♦  Dean  Comber. 


VOL  469 

ister  of  the  Parish."  This  will  appear  highly  reasonable 
when  it  is  considered,  that  even  in  a  parish  of  moderate  size, 
cases  of  indisposition  may  ripen  into  alarming  sickness, 
before  the  pastor  can  be  aware  of  the  fact,  without  direct 
information  communicated  to  him.  And  even  then,  "  a  spon- 
taneous visit"  may,  for  many  reasons,  be  ill  timed  and  unac- 
ceptable, to  say  nothing  of  the  "  personal  humiliation  involved 
in  the  offer  and  rejection  of  religious  aid."  Bishop  White 
was  decidedly  of  opinion  that  the  visit  of  the  Clergyman  should 
be  preceded  by  an  invitation,  in  all  ordinary  cases.  But  yet, 
he  adds,  "if  it  be  known  to  him,  from  conversation  with  the 
parishioner  when  in  health,  that  he  conceives  of  there  being 
a  propriety  in  such  visits  in  the  time  of  sickness,  advantage 
should  be  taken  of  such  a  circumstance.  Besides  this,  there 
will  occasionally  occur,  in  conversation  with  various  friends 
and  connexions  of  the  sick,  opportunities  of  insinuating  how 
readily  any  proposal  of  such  an  intercourse  would  be  com- 
plied with."  * 

Visitation  of  the  Messed  Virgin  Mary.  A  festival  of  the 
Church  of  Rome,  instituted  about  A.  D.  1338,  by  Pope  Urban, 
in  memory  of  the  journey  "  which  the  mother  of  our  Lord 
took  into  the  mountains  of  Judea,  to  visit  the  mother  of  St. 
John  the  Baptist." 

"Void."  In  the  Church  of  England,  a  benefice  or  parish 
is  said  to  be  void,  when  destitute  of  a  pastor  or  incumbent. 

Voluntary.  In  Church  music,  an  instrumental  piece, 
such  as  is  usually  performed  on  the  Organ,  at  the  beginning 
or  ending  of  divine  service. 

The  name  probably  arose  from  the  fact  of  these  effusions 
being  generally  extemporaneous  or  voluntary,  at  least  when 
attempted  by  accomplished  organists.  It  is  now  used  in  a 
wider  sense  to  comprehend  written  compositions  or  exercises, 


Bishop  White  on  the  Duties  of  the  Public  Ministry,  pp.  234-5. 
40 


470  vuL 

in  both  the  free  and  strict  styles,  having  the  same  general 
design. 

"  Vulgar  tongue."  Before  the  Reformation,  the  Church 
services  were  performed  in  the  Latin  language,  and  as  might 
be  expected,  were  on  this  account  little  calculated  to  inform 
and  interest  the  people.  The  Reformers  had,  therefore,  the 
double  task  of  compiling  and  translating  those  parts  of  our 
service  which  have  come  down  to  us  from  a  remote  antiquity. 
This  will  account  for  the  frequent  mention,  in  the  English 
rubrics,  of  the  language  in  which  the  Offices  of  the  Church 
are  to  be  performed  ; — as  for  example,  in  the  case  of  the 
hymns  after  the  Lessons  in  Evening  Prayer,  the  rubrics  state 
that  they  shall  be  repeated  "  in  English''^ — or  in  the  language 
spoken  by  the  people,  usually  called  the  "  vulgar,"  or  com- 
mon "tongue."  The  24th  Article  also  declares  that  "It  is 
a  thing  plainly  repugnant  to  the  Word  of  God  and  the  cus- 
tom of  the  Primitive  Church,  to  have  public  Prayer  in  the 
Church,  or  to  minister  the  Sacraments,  in  a  tongue  not  under- 
standed  of  the  People."  In  agreement  with  this  is  the  re- 
quirement in  the  rubric  at  the  head  of  the  Office  for  Infant 
Baptism,  which  makes  it  obligatory,  "  that  baptism  be  minis- 
tered in  the  Vulgar  tongue,^^  *  It  is  not,  however,  to  be  un- 
derstood that  the  Church  interdicts  the  use  of  other  languages 
in  private  devotions,  or  among  those  who  are  familiar  with 
them  :  for  in  the  Preface  to  the  English  Prayer-book  is  the 
reservation,  that  "  It  is  not  meant,  but  that  when  men  say 
Morning  and  Evening  Prayer  privately,  they  may  say  the 
same  in  any  language  that  they  themselves  do  understand." 

*  English  Prayer-book. 


471 


^¥. 


Wafer.  In  the  Romish  Church,  the  bread  used  in  the 
holy  Eucliarist,  which  is  made  in  the  form  of  thin  round 
cakes,  resembling  a  large  wafer. 

Warden.     See  Church-wardens. 

"Warning  of  the  Holy  Communion.^^  The  notice  or  ex- 
hortation which  is  read  on  the  Sunday,  or  on  a  Koly-day, 
preceding  the  time  of  celebrating  the  Holy  Communion ;  in 
which  the  Church  invites  all  "  who  are  religiously  and  de- 
voutly disposed,"  to  be  in  readiness  to  partake  of  that  solemn 
Sacrament ;  and  also  warns  the  unprepared  of  the  "  sore 
punishment  which  hangeth  over  their  heads,"  for  their  ingra- 
titude, when  they  wilfully  abstain  from  the  Lord's  Table. 

There  are  set  forth  in  the  Prayer-book,  two  of  these  Ex- 
hortations. The  first  of  these  is  used  before  all  ordinary 
occasions  of  administering  the  Communion.  The  other  is  to 
be  read,  "  in  case  he  [the  Minister]  shall  see  the  People  neg- 
ligent to  come  to  the  Holy  Communion:" 

"  Warrant,"  or  Warranty.  Authority,  proof,  security, 
or  a  written  testimony  to  the  truth  and  validity  of  a  doctrine, 
&;c.  Thus  the  Church  declares  in  Article  VIII.,  that  the  Ni- 
cene  and  Apostles'  Creeds  "  may  be  proved  by  most  certain 
warrants  of  holy  Scripture  :"  and  in  Article  XXII,  we  read 
that  "  the  Romish  doctrine  concerning  Purgatory,  &c.,  is  a 
fond  thing  vainly  invented,  and  grounded  upon  no  warranty 
of  Scripture." 

Wednesday,  Ash.     See  Ash  Wednesday. 

Whitsunday.  One  of  the  great  festivals  of  the  Church, 
held  in  commemoration  of  the  descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost  on 
the  day  of  Pentecost.  It  occurs  ten  days  after  Holy  Thurs- 
day, or  Ascension  day. 

"The  reason  of  this  day  being  called  Whit-Sunday,  or 
more  properly,  White-Sunday,  is,  because  on  this  day,  being 


472  woR 

a  remarkable  time  for  baptism,  the  catechumens,  who  were 
then  baptized,  as  well  as  those  who  had  been  baptized  before 
at  Easter,  appeared  in  the  ancient  Church  in  white  garments." 

It  has  also  been  thought  that  the  name  was  symbolical  of 
those  vast  diffusions  of  light  and  knowledge  which  were  then 
shed  upon  the  Apostles,  in  order  to  the  enlightenng  of  a  world 
then  in  the  darkness  of  superstition  and  idolatry. 

"  Wholesome."  Sound,  useful,  safe,  favorable  to  health. 
See  the  11th  Article,  where  it  is  said,  "  that  we  are  justified 
by  faith  only,  is  a  most  wholesome  doctrine," — i.  e.,  condu- 
cive to  spiritual  vigor  and  health.  In  Psalm  xx.  6,  in  the 
Prayer-book,  there  is  another  example  in  point :  "  —  with  the 
wTioUsome  strength  of  his  right  hand."  The  Bible  translation 
substitutes  the  word  "  saving." 

Worship.  Besides  the  usual  application  of  this  term  to 
the  supreme  homage  and  devotion  due  only  to  the  Divine 
Being,  it  is  occasionally  used  in  the  Bible  and  Prayer-book, 
to  denote  honor,  respect,  and  reverence  given  to  men.  Thus, 
in  the  84th  Psalm  it  is  said,  that  "  the  Lord  will  give  grace 
and  worship  [favor  and  dignity]  to  them  that  live  a  godly  life." 
In  Luke,  xiv.  10,  we  read  that  the  humble  guest  "  shall  have 
worship  in  the  presence  of  those  who  sit  at  meat  with  him." 
And  in  1  Chronicles,  xxix.  20,  it  is  said  that  all  the  congre- 
gation "  bowed  down  their  heads,  and  worshipped  the  Lord 
and  the  King." 

In  the  Order  of  Matrimony  in  the  English  Prayer-book, 
the  husband  promises  to  worship  his  wife,  that  is,  to  render  to 
her  all  that  respect  and  honor  to  which  she  is  entitled  by  the 
command  of  God,  and  the  station  she  holds. 

As  a  further  illustration  of  this  somewhat  antiquated  use 
of  the  word,  we  give  the  following  from  Wiclif :  "  God  saith 
on  this  wise  '  Worship  thy  father  and  thy  mother,  that  thou 
mayest  be  of  long  life  upon  earth.'  And  both  nature  and 
reason  will  this.  What  man  or  woman  shouldst  thou  wor- 
ship,  if  thou  shouldst  not  worship  them  that  brought  thee 


WRE  473 

forth,  and  loved  and  helped  thee,  when  thou  mightest  not, 
neither  couldest  help  thyself?  And  St.  Augustine  saith,  it  is 
a  hrutish  condition  for  a  child  to  forget  to  worship  and  to 
love  his  father  and  his  mother.  Three  manners  of  fathers 
we  should  worship.  The  first  is  the  Father  who  createth 
from  nothing  ;  the  second  is  him  that  is  our  father  by  nature  ; 
the  third  is  the  father  by  age,  and  especially  by  virtues."  * 

"  Worthily  lamenting."  See  the  first  Collect  for  Ash- 
Wednesday, — "  that  we,  worthily  lamenting  our  sins  and 
acknowledging  our  wretchedness,  may  obtain  *  *  *  perfect 
remission  and  forgiveness.  The  term  worthy  is  used  in  the 
Prayer-book  as  in  the  Scriptures  to  denote,  not  actual  merit 
and  desert,  but  that  state  of  mind  to  which  God  has  promised 
his  blessing  and  favor.  To  lament  worthily  is  to  grieve  for 
sin  under  an  earnest  and  sincere  apprehension  of  its  offen- 
siveness  to  God. 

"  Wretchlessness."  a  word  of  nearly  the  same  meaning 
with  "  recklessness," — implying,  perhaps,  a  still  more  un- 
bounded and  heinous  indulgence  in  gross  sin.  "  A  most 
dangerous  downfall,  whereby  the  Devil  doth  thrust  them 
either  into  desperation,  or  into  wretchlessness  of  most  unclean 
living,  no  less  perilous  than  desperation."     Article  XVII. 

*  Wiclif  s  "  Poor  Caitiff." 


THE    END. 


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